


Mix of Dark Minors and Sunny Majors

by eviltwin



Category: Necessary Roughness
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-09-20
Updated: 2011-09-28
Packaged: 2017-11-01 03:36:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 51,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/351541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eviltwin/pseuds/eviltwin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She'd be willing to bet the Nico of reality was somewhere between her good guy and his evil one but he wasn't ready to see that just yet. "Nico, I work on feelings and intuition. Of course I see the potential. You work in cold facts and realities that aren't pretty so you see the bad. In order for music to be beautiful, there has to be a mix of sunny majors with the dark, harsh minors."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, you can blame or credit, jeer or cheer brokenroots & goodisrelative for this 88-page fic. Brokenroots started me thinking about NR fic (go read hers, it's better) and then they both beat me up to get more. Please note, this fic is done. finished. fin. over. ended. ... that doesn't mean there might not be a sequel. at least a "Sunday Supper at Mama C's" [you'll meet Mama C in a much later chapter]

Mix of Dark Minors and Sunny Majors  
 **Word Count:** Chapter 1: 3,050 ; _[48,282 total]_  
 **Rating:** PG-13  
 **Pairing:** Nico/Dani—Possibly. Eventually?  
 **Spoilers:** References something from 1x07 and 1x11.  
 **Disclaimer:** don't own. Don't profit. Don't … a lot of things  
 **Summary:** She'd be willing to bet the Nico of reality was somewhere between her good guy and his evil one but he wasn't ready to see that just yet. "Nico, I work on feelings and intuition. Of course I see the potential. You work in cold facts and realities that aren't pretty so you see the bad. In order for music to be beautiful, there has to be a mix of sunny majors with the dark, harsh minors."  
 **Author's Note:** So, you can blame or credit, jeer or cheer brokenroots  & goodisrelative for this 92-page (20+ chapter) fic. Brokenroots started me thinking about NR fic (go read hers, it's better) and then they both beat me up to get more. Please note, this fic is done. finished. fin. over. ended. ... that doesn't mean there might not be a sequel. at least a "Sunday Supper at Mama C's" [you'll meet Mama C in a much later chapter]

 

 

She'd say she was getting better at controlling her reactions when he snuck up on her—except that she still flinches. She figured he was taking perverse pleasure in doing it now—except his eyes never give him away.

 

-%-

"What is it now, Nico?" Dani smiled and pushed the hair out her face as she looked up at him. It was pointless to tell him she was on her way out.

"I know you are on your way out, Doctor Santino, but one of the players is in the coach's office. We would like for you to speak with him." Nico's answer was to the point as he took her elbow and guided her back around.

He listened to the staccato clicks of her heels picking up speed as her pace quickened to keep up with him and he _almost_ considered slowing down his pace. He never, though, considered her next action one she would take.

Dani jerked her arm free and stopped suddenly. "No."

Nico blinked. This wasn't her usual banter about boundaries and lack of scheduled appointments. He turned to see her looking into the coach's office. Her eyes, usually clear and easily read, were clouded with something he couldn't quite put a finger on—but if he was a guessing man, he'd say something between fear and revulsion.

"Dani, he is being charged-." Nico started.

Dani's eyes hardened as she moved them to focus on the man in black standing in front of her. "If you or this team made _anything_ he has done disappear, I'm done with you, this team, _everything_." Her voice was low but steel. Then she turned on her heel and walked away.

This was the first time she got Nico to flinch and she didn't even witness it. He let her go; he knew he could find her at her house later tonight. Entering the coach's office, he took a good look at the man sitting in the chair.

"Where's Doctor Dani?" Coach asked, frowning.

"She'd already left." Nico stated then turned his narrowed eyes on the player. "Tell me _exactly_ what happened." He kept his eyes on the player and watched for the tells.

Twenty minutes later, Nico turned to the coach. "He's done playing for us. Not only will these charges not go away, he'll stand trial. And he _will_ be found guilty. Not even Doctor Santino can help with this mess." He eyed the player. "I imagine we'll find others he has sexually harassed, if not assaulted—on our staff as well. _That_ Doctor Santino can help with." Turning to fully face the player in the chair, Nico glared. "You have ten minutes to clean out your locker with security present. After that, they'll throw you out and we'll mail you anything else that belongs to you."

Xeno materialized at the door and Nico waved for him to take the player out.

"You don't have -." The player started to sputter.

Nico didn't bother with words, he let the violence in his eyes tell the other man just what he thought of him.

Coach sighed. "Talk with Doctor Dani about how to handle this with staff. I'll have a team meeting in 15 minutes, after he is gone." He held up a hand to stop the other man's words. "I'll stress that we tolerate _none_ of this. _Ever_."

 

-%-

Nico knew something was wrong as soon as she didn't flinch as he materialized out of the darkness on her back porch late that night.

"How long have you known?" Nico asked quietly. He didn't do soft.

Dani sighed, turning her head to look at him. "Almost two weeks. I took her to the police. But then I guess you know that. I can't imagine the Great Nico Careles _not_ knowing anything concerning the Hawks." Her words turned harsh—hurtful.

Nico glared, not liking the implication. "You know I would never sweep anything like this away."

"I know, Nico." Dani stated softly and looked away, embarrassed she was taking her fear and frustration out on the one man she _knew_ would take this situation seriously.

"Then why did _you_ not come to me?" Nico asked as he sat next to her on the stairs. "Why did I get a heads up yesterday just before the charges were leveled?"

"Lins. He threatened to hurt her." Dani whispered. She still couldn't bring herself to look over at him.

That was the second time she made him flinch. "He will be found guilty. I _will_ find others."

Dani looked over at Nico at violence in his quiet vow. "He had one of the training assistants up against the wall when I came around the corner. He didn't even hear me as I approached. I saw red, Nico." She sighed.

He stayed silent, knowing she needed to tell this her own way.

"I know I should have turned and got security. Got _you_ , but I couldn't leave her there with him any longer." She turned to look back out into the darkness before she continued. "I slammed into the back of his knee then pulled him back on his ass. She had enough time to get free and down the hall."

Nico's eyes darkened with fury but he kept his touch soft as he reached over and put his arm around her shoulders, offering silent support, knowing he was not going to like the next part.

"He grabbed my ankle and took me down. As he 'helped'," she spat the word, "me up, he groped me and told me any trouble from the team or you and he'd find Lindsay." Dani finished. She leaned her head on his shoulder. "You came around the corner and pulled me into one of TK's issues. Later I found her apartment, we talked, I brought her to the police station, stayed with her through that and the rest of the night until her sister came the next morning. I had Ray take the kids that night."

Nico frowned. He remembered the incident in the hall. He could recall thinking there had been more to it but TK's issues had a way of becoming all-encompassing and front page. "I should have-."

Dani turned and put her finger over his lips. "Stop. You cannot know everything—despite what everyone, including you, thinks. You are _not_ omniscient."

Nico eyed her with his patent half smile. "That's blasphemy!"

Dani smiled over at him. "Probably, but it is still true. You'll see this get fixed in as many ways as you can. I'll work with the female staff and the team. You'll make sure he goes to jail. I'll make sure Lins and I take a self-defense course or three. You and Xeno will make sure he goes nowhere near Lins and Ray Jay. Then we'll all put this behind us."

Nico blinked then allowed a full smile. "Ma'am, yes, ma'am!" That earned him an elbow to the ribs—he gave her the grunt. "I'll find you the self defense course. You'll only need one but it'll be a multi-night one that's the year. Good ones aren't short."

Dani smiled. "Sometimes your mysteriousness and superspy-ness are good things." She could admit it now. "Never when you sneak up on me, though. That is never a good thing."

"Xeno will be around tonight; just as a precaution." Nico stated. "And many appreciate my stealth."

Dani sighed. "Thank you. Tell him to knock on the back door at 7 AM and I'll give him coffee and breakfast for his trouble." She straightened. "I need to talk to the kids. Can you stay for that?" She didn't want to ask but she knew the kids would feel safe if they knew Nico was around. He might scare the shit out of them, but they knew he could protect them.

Nico nodded. "I can. Now?"

"Yes." Dani remained seated while Nico stood.

"You did right, Dani," Nico stated softly and held out his hand to help her up.

Dani looked over at the outstretched hand and then up at the man. "Then why does it feel like I failed?"

Nico knelt in front of her. "You did the only think you could to help the young woman _and_ keep your daughter safe. That is _not_ failing."

Dani nodded. "Thank you, Nico." She offered him a small smile.

"Just stating the obvious, Santino." Nico smiled as he stood up and offered his hand again.

Dani shook her head with a smile as she reached out to take his hand. "Let's go scare the kids."

Nico chuckled softly and followed her inside to find both kids seated at the kitchen island.

"What's going on? We haven't done anything." Ray Jay was quick to speak up.

" _Lately_." Nico stated drily.

Dani bit back her smile and motioned for Nico to take a seat. "I know you both haven't done anything recently." She bit at her lower lip, debating how to start this conversation, before focusing on her two kids. "Nico's presence is only to convince you everything will be fine." She took a deep breath and started right in. "One of the players was sexually harassing a couple of the female staff. I helped two of them—one who was assaulted and one who was harassed—go to the police about the player's actions. As a precaution, Xeno will be stationed outside the house and will bring Lindsay to and from school." She watched her children's faces pale and hated herself for bringing them into this evil. "It is for my peace of mind."

"Nothing will happen with Xeno around. I am also setting up a self defense class you will need to fit into your schedules. Ray Jay, do you want in?" Nico spoke up then.

"Cool." Ray Jay nodded.

Lindsay looked from her mom to the man in black who scared the crap out of her and knew entirely too much. "You promise you'll take care of her?"

Dani opened her mouth to say it wasn't Nico's responsibility, but Nico held up his hand to silence her. The question was to him and he could field it. "I promise I'll take care of her, Lindsay. I will do everything I can to keep both of you kids and your mother safe. That also means that the three of you have to be aware of your surroundings: don't go out alone. You three need to be smart. And you need to _think_."

Lindsay nodded. "I will. I'll probably have at least two more friends who would like to take the self defense course. If that's okay?"

Nico smiled. "Of course that is fine, Lindsay."

Dani went around the island to hug her kids. "Ray Jay, Lins, I'll be careful. I promise. I just want you two safe." Her kids hugged her and she offered them a smile. "Now get upstairs and go to bed. You have school tomorrow and it is already way too late!"

They gave her smiles, nodded to Nico, and headed upstairs.

He waited until he knew they were both upstairs before he pinned her with his glare. "Two?"

Dani swallowed. She wanted a glass of wine but it was too late and she was already too tired. She settled for making coffee. Whatever was left, she'd put in a thermos for Xeno.

Nico waited her out as she made the coffee.

"The second was four days ago." Dani stated softly. "I found her shaking in the ladies' room. I didn't have to be told but I got her to talk about it. I brought her to the first woman. They went to the police together." Dani brushed a tear away when she finally turned to face Nico. "I should have told you after the first one. I should have protected the rest of them, Nico. I knew there had to be more. There is _never_ just one."

Nico sighed. "But you _did_ protect them, Dani. You got her to go to the police. You know how big of a step that is; how many times it _does not_ happen. You cannot take responsibilities for _his_ actions. That is like taking responsibility for TK's actions."

What happened next was like a huge comedy of errors—and so classic TK—that Dani couldn't stop from laughing.

 

 _"Yo! Doctor D! Get this gorilla off me! I need to talk to you!"_ TK yelled from outside the back door. "Come on, Doctor D! I knows I don't have an appointment but this is important!"

Dani shook her head and sighed. "Let him in, Nico, and tell Xeno it was a good try."

Nico chuckled then blanked his face and opened the door. "What is it, Terrence, that you cannot wait to talk to the good doctor at a more reasonable hour?"

TK brushed passed the man, ignoring him, and got right in Dani's face. "Did that rat bastard hurt you?"

Dani blinked. This had never even registered as something to handle in her thoughts all day.

"He did, didn't he?! _I'll kill him!_ The team will kill him!" TK swore.

"TK." Dani started only to have TK rant and pace. She took a deep breath, shared an amused smile with Nico, then yelled, "Terrence King, you will plant your ass on a stool this minute!"

Nico swallowed his smile. This was _Mother_ Santino.

TK stopped and blinked. He sat on a stool she pointed to and quieted down. "Did he hurt you, Doctor D?"

Dani moved to TK's side. She knew this was way outside of her boundaries but he was hurting and she couldn't stand that. She cupped his cheek and moved his head to look him in the eyes. "TK, I promise you he will get his due. He will serve time. He will never play ball for the Hawks again. I promise you I will help the female staff he has terrorized. I will help the team learn to watch for this to prevent it from ever happening again. All of us will be a better team and we'll grow from this."

TK nodded. "But you didn't answer my question."

Dani sighed as she weighed the consequences. Truth had to win out here. She'd lose his respect but she'd also lose her own self respect if she lied now. "Once, when I saved one of the young ladies. He groped my left breast and he threatened Lindsay."

TK stilled. Dani read the murder in his eyes and pulled him to her in a hug. "I swear, Terrence, he'll do nothing to Lins or me or Ray Jay. Xeno is watching the house and the kids. Nico already told Lindsay he'd take care of my protection. He's setting up a self defense course for all three of us." She pulled back from TK and looked him square in the eyes. "You and the team will do _nothing_ to him. We have to do this right, TK. I will have things for you and the team to help with and I will need you, TK, to lead the team in these actions. Please let this go my way."

TK sighed. "Fine but I still don't see how a few hits would hurt anything." He grumbled.

Dani laughed and patted his cheek. "Don't even _think_ about it, TK, but I thank you for the thought."

TK smiled. "Hey, gotta protect my therapist! Who else would get me to rise above myself? Besides, too much work to break someone else in."

Dani groaned then smiled. "Go home, Terrence. And do _not_ let me catch you driving without a license!"

TK waved and headed outside. "Nico, we need to chat later." And then he was gone.

Dani's eyes narrowed. "Nico, you will do nothing to him. You will not have someone else do anything to him either. You will not supply a member of the team with a name of someone who would do something—nor will Xeno on any of the above. Do you understand me?"

Nico held her gaze. "What TK and I or the team and I discuss are-."

"Nico, I need you to let me and the _women_ decide how this is dealt with. I know that you, TK, and the team feel guilty; that you want to get payback for us. I _get_ that, Nico, but what I need you and for you to get TK and the team to understand is that we were the ones terrorized and assaulted and harassed. And it needs to be us who take the control back and put that, to borrow TK's colorful name, rat bastard in his place. We need to take that step to get back a part of what he took from us. If you men extract vengeance, even in our names, it doesn't help us—it just means more control is taken from us. Whether you mean for it to happen or not." Dani stood in front of him and looked up into his eyes. "Do you understand, Nico?" She asked, her voice softening for the question.

Nico sighed. "I do. I will do as I can to explain it to them." He started to head out but stopped at the door. "What if one of you asks?"

Dani frowned. "No matter who asks, he doesn't get seriously injured or dead."

Nico nodded. "I can live with that." And with that, he slipped out into the night.

Dani moved back to the coffee maker and gave up on her own cup and just filled the thermos. Opening the door, she spoke quietly, "Xeno, black?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Dani smiled and handed over the thermos. "In case Nico forgot-."

"Breakfast is at 7 AM. Thank you, Doctor Santino."

Dani rolled her eyes: what had she been thinking? _Nico_ forget something? _As if._ "No, Xeno. Thank _you_." With that said, she slipped back inside and up to her bedroom.

 

-%-

Nico watched the light in her room go out and then turn back on twenty minutes later. He sighed. He figured she wouldn't get much sleep tonight. When his phone beeped a minute later, he would never admit to the chuckle that escaped as he read the unexpected text: _Go home, Nico, before you are stuck here. Pick me up at 730 AM and you too might get breakfast._

He checked in with Xeno one last time then headed out.  



	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She'd be willing to bet the Nico of reality was somewhere between her good guy and his evil one but he wasn't ready to see that just yet. "Nico, I work on feelings and intuition. Of course I see the potential. You work in cold facts and realities that aren't pretty so you see the bad. In order for music to be beautiful, there has to be a mix of sunny majors with the dark, harsh minors."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, you can blame or credit, jeer or cheer brokenroots & goodisrelative for this 92-page (20+ chapter) fic. Brokenroots started me thinking about NR fic (go read hers, it's better) and then they both beat me up to get more. Please note, this fic is done. finished. fin. over. ended. ... that doesn't mean there might not be a sequel. at least a "Sunday Supper at Mama C's" [you'll meet Mama C in a much later chapter]

Mix of Dark Minors and Sunny Majors  
 **Word Count:** Chapter 2: 3,220 ; _[48,282 total]_  
 **Rating:** PG-13  
 **Pairing:** Nico/Dani—Possibly. Eventually?  
 **Spoilers:** References something from 1x07 and 1x11.  
 **Disclaimer:** don't own. Don't profit. Don't … a lot of things  
 **Summary:** She'd be willing to bet the Nico of reality was somewhere between her good guy and his evil one but he wasn't ready to see that just yet. "Nico, I work on feelings and intuition. Of course I see the potential. You work in cold facts and realities that aren't pretty so you see the bad. In order for music to be beautiful, there has to be a mix of sunny majors with the dark, harsh minors."  
 **Author's Note:** So, you can blame or credit, jeer or cheer brokenroots  & goodisrelative for this 92-page (20+ chapter) fic. Brokenroots started me thinking about NR fic (go read hers, it's better) and then they both beat me up to get more. Please note, this fic is done. finished. fin. over. ended. ... that doesn't mean there might not be a sequel. at least a "Sunday Supper at Mama C's" [you'll meet Mama C in a much later chapter]

[Chapter 1](http://bets-cyn.livejournal.com/133014.html)

 

-%-

Dani smiled at Xeno as she pushed him inside her house at 705 AM. "I'll deal with Nico later," she swore.

 

She waited for his knock then opened the door and sailed out to his car.

"Breakfast?"

Dani lifted an eyebrow at his expectation. "The text said 'might' and you told Xeno not to leave his post until he took the kids to school."

"He cannot-." Nico started.

"Do not talk to me about protection, Nico. He's watching out for _my_ kids, spent the night standing guard at _my_ house. The _least_ I can do is give the man a good meal!" Dani cut him off and cut into him, pissed.

A wise man knew when to let a pissed off woman win an argument and no one would ever accuse Nico of stupidity. He nodded. "Duly noted, _Mother_ Santino." Then again he didn't get any sleep last night, and knowing how to push people's buttons was something he excelled at.

Dani snapped around and was glad he was following so close behind her because it put him within slapping range and she knew he'd never expect it. But then, she didn't expect it to be so loud. And she didn't expect the guilt to be so strong either.

It took a minute for Nico to respond. "Well that certainly was a wake up." When her eyes flashed, he held up his hands in surrender, knowing he had stepped way over the line. "My words were uncalled for." He stopped short of apologizing.

Dani's eyes stayed narrowed. "Which set of words, Nico, were uncalled for?"

Nico smiled down at her. "Both sets— when I called you Mother Santino and the last ones about the wakeup call."

Dani nodded and turned to continue to his car and got in. God she was tired: she'd allow it was the reason she actually slapped him. If she had been thinking rationally, she would have let his sarcastic words just roll off her.

Nico sighed. "Did you get any sleep?" He asked as he got in and started the car.

Dani shook her head no and just stared blankly out the window. She could tell he was going to say something else and sighed. "Not now, Nico. Just let it go for now."

 

-%-

The first thing he did was bring her to his office. "The lock code is 9183. When you need time alone, use my office. Lock the door. You do not leave the team's secure areas without me." When she would have argued, he just added, " _I_ promised Lindsay I would take care of her mother."

Dani smiled and gave a small nod of understanding. "9183, no alone outside the team's secure area. Got it, Nico, but when you get other situations, you go-."

"I will deal with them as they come up; you do not need to concern yourself with those. This is the situation that needs, _deserves_ , my time and attention. I have others whom can handle other situations." He eyed her for a moment. "Can I see your mobile?"

Dani squinted, smiled at the thought of that old conversation of theirs, and handed over her phone. "What are you planning on doing to it?"

Nico debated if the truth would be best but he had told her he didn't lie—oh, he could be vague and evasive on this and she wouldn't even realize it—but her peace of mind was already balanced precariously and he wasn't going to be the one to tip it into paranoia and freaking out. "Setting the GPS to 'always on' and cloning it so if he calls I'll know. And programming in my emergency number so you can _always_ reach me."

Dani stared at him. "What were you _after_ being a SeAL?" She shivered even as she held his gaze. "And _no_ listening on Jeanette conversations or patient calls or calls with my kids!"

Nico didn't even blink at her question—nor did he answer it. He just pulled out his briefcase, scanned the phone and scanned a second one. He put the second phone in his pocket. "Just know your calls are monitored: on your mobile and at your home."

Dani was squinting again and she knew it. "Nico, the two women-." She started as she took her phone back.

"You and I will visit them later this morning and explain what the team is doing to help them. And they will meet their security details, which have been in place since I left your home last night." This time Nico cut her off, knowing what she needed to hear.

Dani eyed him with a small smile gracing her lips. "When you walked out or finally drove away? And did _you_ get any sleep last night in between planning security and dealing with other situations that arose?"

Nico smiled. "I got sufficient rest, Doctor Santino."

She rolled her eyes and muttered something about vague answers, men, and last nerves on her way out of his office.

 

-%-

"Doctor D! How you be?" TK yelled down the hall a couple hours later.

Dani didn't even bother stopping the smile that lit up her face. TK's exuberance was _exactly_ what she needed right now. Turning to watch him walk down the hall to her, she shook her head. "I'm good, TK. Tired but good."

"My man Nico treatin' ya okay? Don't let him cross boundaries, Doctor D. Ya know how those men in black get: give 'em an inch, they tie ya up, and take a mile!"

Dani laughed. "Funny, TK. Very funny." Last night's parting words came back to her then and her eyes narrowed. "About Nico, TK. You are _not_ to ask him-."

"I got the down low form my man already, so did the team. Y'all's decision, girl power, yada yada. We back it. Don't like it, but we'll back it. Girl power brings on the sexy, Doctor D." TK cut her off. He eyed her with his last words and sighed. "That was outta line. I know, Doctor D, but it takes time to change stripes."

Dani patted his arm. "Awareness and knowing are half the battle, TK."

TK leaned back and studied her. "Whoa, deep, Doctor D! Yoda and GIJoe. Didn't know ya had it in ya." He grinned at her.

Dani grinned back with a roll of her eyes. "I was going more for Yogurt and GIJoe, but I'll take Yoda." She left him puzzling over the Yogurt reference and made a mental note to get him a copy of _Spaceballs_ —or to just have Ray Jay and Lindsay make him watch it.

"Nice _Spaceballs_ reference, Doctor Santino." Nico came up behind her on her right side.

She pulled up short and stomped her foot. "Damnit, Nico! We both know I'm teetering on the edge. Must you push me over with your damn stealth?!"

Nico raised an eyebrow, silently asking if the tantrum was over.

She fisted her hands and growled at him in frustration, then took a deep breath and let it go. She pointed a finger at him. "I swear you take pleasure in doing that to me!" Her eyes narrowed as she caught the glint in his eyes. "I _knew_ it! I friggin' _knew_ it!"

"Now are you done?" Nico asked patiently, blanking his eyes completely.

She sighed and just gave in. "You'll get your due one day, Mister Careles." She hooked her arm through his and asked, "Time to head out to visit the ladies? Did you do as I texted and arrange to meet them together at a public place?"

Nico looked down at their joined arms, frowning but allowed it for now—he couldn't let it become habit though. "Of course, ma'am. I also had my men secure the location. While I know he was picked up later last night so he could not get out until this morning and his bail hearing was pushed back until late this morning, I didn't want to chance his attendance."

Dani pulled him to a stop as she got a true understanding of just how connected he really was. Looking up at him, she smiled. "You really are a good friend to have around, Nico. Even with your vague answers, annoying sneakiness and stealth, and scary freeze glare."

Nico glanced down at her with his half smile and set them in motion again. "I checked in with Xeno: all's quiet on that front."

Dani was too tired to think about her next action: she rested her head against his arm and just concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other as they made their way out of the stadium.

Nico frowned. This was getting out of hand—if he pulled away now, though, she may stumble and fall and he couldn't allow that. But he caught Donnally's surprise at seeing Dani hugging his arm and leaning into him and couldn't stop himself from stiffening.

Dani felt him stiffen and straightened herself up and pulled off of Nico. "Sorry," she whispered.

Nico frowned again. "Donnally's getting the wrong idea."

Dani filed that way, surprised Nico cared what the other man thought. "That's his problem; not mine nor yours." Then she let his arm go and shifted slightly to put more space between them. She wasn't about to add more to his plate, nor was she about to hurt his reputation with the team.

Nico looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "Then why let my arm go and move away if it is not your problem?"

"I don't want the team to see you differently. I'm taking enough of your time and attention, Nico." Dani stated quietly as he held open the door for her. She squinted at the bright light and fumbled in her purse for sunglasses.

Nico allowed the door to shut behind them and stared at her. _What did he do with_ that _admission?_ "Dani, the team failed to protect these women and you. I failed to protect you-."

Dani whirled around to face him, putting her finger right in his face, and swore. " _Bullshit_ , Nico! I have said it before and I will again: You. Are. Not. Omniscient! Do not even let me see it cross your mind again! Neither one of us failed anyone. And, hell, you are more than making it up to us right now. You take on too much, Nico Careles." She closed her eyes and rubbed her temple. "Christ, I have a headache."

"We could-."

"We see the women, get food, then maybe I'll rest—on the condition you do too." Dani cut him off with a list of actions. "This headache is only on you because you keep frustrating me and sneaking up on me." And she smiled up at him before she put her sunglasses on and headed for his car.

Nico shook his head with a rueful smile. She is definitely an impact player—a hard-hitting and unexpected impact player.

 

-%-

The two women cowered under Nico's steady gaze. Dani sighed and moved to stand between them and Nico. "Nico, give the ladies and I ten minutes. Disappear. You keep us in sight but I do not want them to see you." She spoke quietly—her voice only carrying to Nico.

Nico sighed. "I don't-."

"I know, Nico. I know." She smiled up at him and patted his arm. She turned to face the ladies and knew when Nico was out of sight by the relaxing of their facial features. "Scary, isn't he? It's a damn good thing he's on _our_ side." She got a nervous chuckle out of the two before she continued. "TK has given _the one who shall not be named_ a new name: Rat Bastard. I think that is what we shall use when discussing the rat bastard who hurt us." There were small smiles and Dani sighed in relief. "Rat Bastard was arrested last night. His bail hearing is going on right now. By the end of this, there will be a lot more women identified whom he sexually assaulted or harassed. We will _all_ get through this. You both need to know that the Hawks have terminated his contract. He will never play ball for us again." Dani caught their disbelief and smiled. "Ladies, I'm not kidding when I say the team is pissed—at Rat Bastard, and more importantly, at themselves for not seeing it and not stopping it. Even for not preventing it altogether. They feel they failed us."

_That_ dropped both of their jaws. "You serious? _They_ feel guilty?"

"Dead serious, ladies. To borrow a friend's words, I don't lie." Dani stated. "We'll meet for individual and group therapy if you would like—with me or with another, all on the Hawks' dime. The team is working with me on how they can recognize the signs and how to be a bit more respectful of women." Dani smiled. "That will take a while because TK said it best: it takes time to change stripes."

The two women chuckled. "Sounds like TK."

"The Hawks—Nico—is setting up security details at wherever you two are staying for the foreseeable future. It's a precaution I would have asked for if Nico hadn't already started it last night." Dani stated and waited for their reactions as she motioned for Nico to come back.

Both women froze. "Mr. Careles was concerned-."

"You both are important assets of the team and team assets are to be protected. I didn't-." Nico eyed Dani and changed words. "As we weren't aware of the problem before, we are making sure it is over and will not happen again. I do not take chances."

Both women blinked and looked to Dani.

Dani smiled and stood next to Nico and took his arm. "Ladies, yes, Nico has a scary glare that can freeze hell in five seconds; likes to sneak up and scare the shit out of a person; and only answers questions in annoyingly vague answers and misdirects—but he is not a person we should be scared of. He'll deny it, but he _likes_ to fix people's problems because he cares." Dani chuckled. "Not saying he couldn't break us in half or that I think he is so connected he could delay Rat Bastard's bail hearing. But you can trust me, and more importantly, trust _Nico_ , on this: he and his merry band of men in black who like to break kneecaps will protect us." Dani knew it was more of her hanging onto Nico's arm than her mix of serious and comedic words that got the ladies to see they didn't need to be scared of Nico.

"But let's not let the _team_ know. Damages my carefully crafted reputation." Nico smiled.

One smiled, the other chuckled nervously but nodded. "Can we meet our security details?"

Nico nodded and raised a hand: six men came out of the shadows.

Dani let go of his arm and stepped back: it was his show now. She sat and listened to his voice explain details and security plans then introduce the men. She sighed and let her eyes close as she used his voice to soothe her own fear still lurking in the back of her mind.

 

Dani sat up abruptly when the silence penetrated her rest. She would _not_ admit it may have been a nightmare. She blinked at the harsh light and found only Nico sitting next to her, his hand resting on her arm, almost as if he was trying to ground her.

Nico looked over at her, silently asking if she was okay.

She offered him a smile and hoped it looked right. "Startled awake. I'll be fine. When did they all head out?" She wasn't going to ask how long he had been watching her sleep or how long he had been keeping her dreams.

"About five minutes ago." Nico smiled. "I think it's time to head to your house and rest before the kids get home from school."

Dani stretched and stood. "You know the condition on that, Nico."

"Where do you want to grab lunch?" Nico asked as his phone rang. He squinted at the number before he answered it with "What happened?"

Dani watched him carefully. His eyes cut to her before he turned slightly away to listen to whomever was on the phone. "Why was there-." He paused. "I'll-."

Dani knew then. He wasn't paying attention to her—it was the only reason she could steal his phone from him. " _We_ will be there in 20." Then she ended the call and handed the phone back over to him. "McDonalds or Burger King, I don't care. But _we_ are going to my house." Dani decreed, ice in her glare, daring him to challenge her.

He just held her glare. "Never said you would not come with me."

"Do not play the semantics game with me now, Careles. You started with _I'll_ not _we'll_. And your last words never said you would bring me now to my own house. I'm starting to see through your vagueness," Dani growled, then pulled out her phone. "Jeanette, I need a favor. I have a problem and I need the kids and their security detail to stay with you for a few days." Dani sighed at the rapid fire questions her friend issued. "Jeanette! I will explain all later, but, yes, Nico is with me." Dani sighed before she hung up.

"Not with Ray?" Nico asked.

Dani snorted. "Jeanette lives in a gated community with top of the line," she paused to eye Nico, "er, with decent security."

Nico smiled at her change in description. "I know."

Dani just rolled her eyes. "Screw it. Let's just pick up pizza. I'll call it in and it will be ready in 15 minutes. It's on the way."

Nico nodded and they headed out to the car. He was still trying to think of a way to prevent her from going to her house until he had a chance to survey it. He could probably press that he had promised Lindsay he would protect her, but he had a feeling he would need that later. Giving in for the moment, he dialed Xeno. "They go to Jeanette's after school." He listened a minute then held the phone out for Dani.

Dani eyed him then it. "Don't you _dare_ apologize, Xeno. You, like your boss, cannot be everywhere nor can you predict every action Rat Bastard will take." Dani swallowed a smile then frowned. "No, that order is _not_ lifted. It is only if one of us women asks and even then no serious injury or death. I swear, Xeno, I will get Nico to kick your ass." Dani smiled evilly at something the man on the phone said. "Of course, if he breaks that, you get to kick his ass. Thanks, Xeno. Take care."

"What makes you think he can kick my ass?" Nico asked as he drove.

"What makes you think I would play fair or not help him?" Dani countered. At Nico's raised eyebrow, Dani shrugged. "If there is one thing I have learned from watching you, Nico, is that there is _always_ a way to get something done. And I'll add the qualifier 'and come out mostly the way you want it to'."

Nico smiled. "Good lessons to learn."

 


	3. Fic: [NR] Mix of Dark Minors and Sunny Majors [3/14]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She'd be willing to bet the Nico of reality was somewhere between her good guy and his evil one but he wasn't ready to see that just yet. "Nico, I work on feelings and intuition. Of course I see the potential. You work in cold facts and realities that aren't pretty so you see the bad. In order for music to be beautiful, there has to be a mix of sunny majors with the dark, harsh minors."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, you can blame or credit, jeer or cheer brokenroots & goodisrelative for this 92-page (20+ chapter) fic. Brokenroots started me thinking about NR fic (go read hers, it's better) and then they both beat me up to get more. Please note, this fic is done. finished. fin. over. ended. ... that doesn't mean there might not be a sequel. at least a "Sunday Supper at Mama C's" [you'll meet Mama C in a much later chapter]

Mix of Dark Minors and Sunny Majors  
 **Word Count:** Chapter 3: 3,029; _[48,282 total]_  
 **Rating:** PG-13  
 **Pairing:** Nico/Dani—Possibly. Eventually?  
 **Spoilers:** References something from 1x07 and 1x11.  
 **Disclaimer:** don't own. Don't profit. Don't … a lot of things  
 **Summary:** She'd be willing to bet the Nico of reality was somewhere between her good guy and his evil one but he wasn't ready to see that just yet. "Nico, I work on feelings and intuition. Of course I see the potential. You work in cold facts and realities that aren't pretty so you see the bad. In order for music to be beautiful, there has to be a mix of sunny majors with the dark, harsh minors."  
 **Author's Note:** So, you can blame or credit, jeer or cheer brokenroots  & goodisrelative for this 92-page (20+ chapter) fic. Brokenroots started me thinking about NR fic (go read hers, it's better) and then they both beat me up to get more. Please note, this fic is done. finished. fin. over. ended. ... that doesn't mean there might not be a sequel. at least a "Sunday Supper at Mama C's" [you'll meet Mama C in a much later chapter]

 

 

[Chapter 2](http://bets-cyn.livejournal.com/133293.html)

 

-%-

Nico made sure the police met them there—efficiency was getting things moving so they could be over quicker. He shook his head at the broken windows and spray paint; thinking it looked like a college prank taken too far. He just started his mental list of whom to call to set this to rights.

Dani sucked in a breath as she surveyed the needless destruction. Her flowers. The stained glass that had been hanging in the front window; a present from a college friend who made her living creating beauty out of broken things. She shook her head at the words. "Is this supposed to scare me?" She turned to Nico, not registering he was talking to a police officer. "I mean they are _words_. I do battle with words every day—they will _never_ scare me."

Nico turned to smile and nod at her in silent understanding before he turned back to the police officer.

Dani wandered around the house to her office door. The police were inside the house and out front—it made her pause that she hadn't seen anyone back here and she wondered if this was a good idea, but she pushed herself forward despite that inner warning telling her she shouldn't do this.

Opening the door, Dani staggered back. _God!_ She hoped the rest of the house wasn't this bad. Taking small steps, she walked into her office and spun around to take all of the damage in. The words still rolled off of her but when her eyes stopped on the knives sticking out of a photo on her wall, she lost it.

 

Nico swore his heart stopped. She hadn't even started on the second syllable of his name and he was sprinting around to her home office. His heart didn't even slow down as he caught sight of her through the doorway. Training had him slowing his movements down and surveying the scene—and reaching for a gun he no longer carried. He could see she wasn't hurt; that no one was behind her. He couldn't see if anyone else was in the room, though, and he wasn't willing to risk her life. He waved the police to halt their advance.

She hadn't noticed him yet—her eyes still glued to something in the part of the room he couldn't get eyes on. This time, as he moved closer to the doorway, he catalogued her. She wasn't shaking in fear of immediate danger. She wasn't whimpering or talking someone down. What she was doing was staring at an image or view that hurt and frightened her.

 

Dani caught the flash of black in the corner of her eye and turned to see Nico approaching carefully. She shook her head no then forced her voice to find the words. "No. No, Nico, nothing like that. No one is here. Get someone on Jeanette. _Now_. And Ma." And she raised her hand to point at one of her favorite photos from her wedding: Jeanette, Ma, and her in a circle dancing, not paying attention to the camera.

Nico pulled out his phone as he stepped into her home office and took a quick glance where she was pointing before he stepped in front of her and blocked her view of it.

Dani looked at his chest for a moment then forced her gaze up to his eyes. She blinked a few times to push the threatening tears back and smiled slightly as she listened to the comforting sound of Nico barking orders into his phone. _More men_ , she sighed at that thought. He was amassing a small army for her, between security for the two women, her kids, herself and now Jeanette and Ma. She didn't even want to think about the army of informants finding other women Rat Bastard had terrorized.

Dani shook her head and moved out of the office, going back outside. She looked up quickly when Nico moved with her, still on his phone. She stumbled at the intensity of his gaze—she recognized she was in trouble. She swallowed hard when he hung up the phone and stalked over to stand directly in front of her, invading her personal space, with his angry glare. She straightened her back, readying herself for the battle she could easily see in his eyes.

"I told you to remain by my side." Nico's voice may have been low but it was stone cold and made her shiver. It also deflated her arguments.

"I know, Nico. I didn't mean-. Hell, I just-." Dani sighed in frustration. "I just needed to see it, Nico. Cops are crawling all over. You were near. I thought it would be okay." She looked over at her office door and then back at Nico and found her strength. "I will not use you as a crutch, Nico, to fix every situation. You won't— _can't_ —be there for everything bad in my life. I won't let this Rat Bastard take this from me too." She growled as she moved to pace. "You've amassed an _army_ to protect those two women and my family. I don't want to contemplate the small—hell, knowing you, _large_ —army of informants you have scouring for more women he terrorized."

Nico wanted to shake her—or, really, strangle her. She kept yelling at him that this wasn't his failure but she still held herself responsible. Instead, he stood back, enjoyed the transformation with his patent half smile, and just waited.

Dani eyed him suspiciously. He was too quiet suddenly. Then she caught his half smile and her eyes narrowed. She stalked up to him and tilted her head up to look him in the eyes. "Why are you suddenly so quiet? You were ready to take my head off a second ago."

He had _no_ idea what possessed him, but he could not stop the words and no way would he take them back. "Just enjoying the show." And he wasn't disappointed with her reaction.

Dani's mouth dropped open. That was so far from the Nico she knew that she had no idea how to react.

Using her silence and lack of movement, he gripped her arms as his eyes stormed again. "Back to _my_ rules: you _will_ stay by my side. This isn't just some idle threat, Doctor Santino. This ma-." Her eyes darkened. "This rat bastard is not joking. He has shown quite clearly how serious he is. His focus is on _you_ and that cannot be taken lightly. You took his world away, his _life_ away, and now he is looking for payback. This attack, immediately after his release, shows just how unhinged he is."

Dani sighed, his words were doing their job: scaring the crap out of her. "I see that. I do, Nico. And I promise I'll remain near you." She looked up at him. "Do you think he will keep his focus on me directly or will he lash out on my family and friends before he comes after me directly? Be honest with me, Nico."

He blinked. He should be used to her strength by now. "I am always honest with you. Perhaps not always direct or forthcoming, but I am always honest. As for his actions, we can predict but we will never know for certain." He paused, deciding how much to divulge to her at this exact moment. "Do I think he may attack others first? Yes, he knows you care for too many and he will use that against you."

Nico sighed and absently rubbed his hands up and down her arms. "You think too many rely upon me to fix their situations, Doctor Santino. What you do not see is that just as many rely on you. It isn't just your kids, mother, and Jeanette. Now it's TK, Coach, even Donnally, and the rest of the team. They rely on you and your help." Nico told her, his voice quiet as he let her go and stepped back from her. "You make them all _better_."

Dani stared up at him for a moment before her face lit up with a smile. "Face it, Nico. You just want me around because I make your job easier." She took a step towards him and tapped his chest and winked up at him before she faced the house again.

Nico sighed, glad he wouldn't be forced to respond to that—she had hit a little too close to the conclusion he was rapidly coming to. But he also hated to see the light go out of her eyes at the sight of the destruction. Gently, he turned her away to look at him. "You have been cleared to pack some of your stuff and the kids' stuff. The rest of the house is not as bad as your office, Dani. Let's get you packed and then we'll head to Jeanette's and deal with the kids."

Dani nodded, but put her hand on Nico's arm to stop his movement. She focused on him again and came to a decision. "I don't want to be with the kids until this guy is caught. I won't endanger them anymore than I already have, Nico. Set me up in a hotel room."

Nico studied her, weighing his options. This house wasn't going to be secured or set back to rights for at least a few days. A hotel would be too open. His mind scrolled through the team's holding and the Pittman Group's holdings. Settling upon a viable option, he looked down at Dani. "There is a house we may use. It is owned by the team, close by, easily secured, and unoccupied at the moment."

Dani nodded even as she reached up and rubbed her brow. Straightening her posture, she took a fortifying breath and headed into her home. She couldn't allow herself to get bogged down in the details of her safety right now. Small steps. Packing first. Deal with kids, reassure them that she is okay and that they are not in danger as long as they listen to Xeno. Then she would deal with where she would stay and what to tell the two ladies. Sighing, she headed up the stairs, choosing to ignore the bits of destruction she saw in her periphery.

Nico followed closely behind her, concerned that she was suddenly too quiet again. He wondered when she would crash. She had been swinging high and low the last few days, it would take its toll on anyone. Adding the threat to her children, he could not even imagine how she kept her head about her. Just another reminder why he had chosen his life as it was: few responsibilities with fewer holds over him. If watching her worry over too many made him wonder what it would be like to have someone concerned for him, he just pushed that aside as temporary insanity.

 

-%-

The first thing she did when she saw her kids was hug them. Squeezed them until they could barely breathe. And they did the same to her right back. There were words, whispers, tears, and fears barely given voice.

Jeanette pulled Nico into the kitchen to give Dani and the kids space. "You aren't letting her out of your sight, are you?"

Nico turned his eyes to Dani's best friend. "Well, at the moment, you pulled me out of sight of her, so yes, I let her out of my sight."

Jeanette's eyes narrowed. "Don't think you can pull your vague bullshit with me, Mr. Nico Careles. I've lived through two asshole husbands whom I've divorced. Do not bend words and do not make jokes about this."

Nico nodded, giving the woman a half smile. "I gave Lindsay my word that I would protect her mother. I will make sure nothing happens to Doctor Santino, Mrs. Scavetti, you have my word as well."

"Good. Now, where are you staying? With the kids upstairs in the guest rooms, I can make room, but—."

Nico shook his head. "Doctor Santino does not want to endanger the children more. We will set up at a house the team keeps for guests. It is secure and close by. Xeno will be staying inside your house. He will take the couch. The rest of the men will work with your community's security but they will be outside."

Jeannette smiled. "I was going to give him the areobed. I can't really see big ol' Xeno comfortable on any of my couches, can you?"

Nico nodded. "He'll be appreciative. Just tell him where the coffee is, and he'll be fine."

Jeanette's eyes lit up over that. "Now, I could get used to coffee ready for me in the morning!"

Nico chuckled, but his eyes went briefly to the doorway and Jeanette didn't miss the movement.

Jeanette tilted her head to study him. Nico kept his eyes on hers, not blinking, but also not sure he liked that she was studying him so closely. He chose to think of it as a simple staring contest: he did not lose those.

Jeanette nodded suddenly. "Good. Now, let's get the kids settled." And she headed back into the living room. "So, we all good on who gets what room upstairs? Are you sure you packed enough things for these two, Dani?"

Dani smiled over at her best friend and took a step back from her children. "Yes, I brought enough stuff for the rest of the week. By then the house will be good as new and we should be able to get back in for more things." She looked over at her kids and reached out to touch their faces. She knew they were scared, she could see it in their eyes and it tore her heart. "I'll be okay, kids. You know Nico can scare the crap out of anyone. And he has his super-secret SeALs training. He won't let anything happen to me. And I'll be smart. I'll listen to what he says."

"I don't see why you can't stay with us, Mom." Lindsay started again.

Dani pulled her to her. "Because, Lins, I can't let anything happen to you and Ray Jay. He's focused on me now and that is where I want it to stay." She pulled back and wiped away her daughter's tears. "Besides, Nico can kick his ass. I'll be okay, Lins. I promise." Dani hugged her tight one last time then stepped back.

"You kids be good, listen to Xeno and Jeanette. Do your homework. Do not pester TK." Dani shook her finger at them with a smile. "Remember, I have Nico: I'll be fine. Try not to worry too much."

Jeanette hugged her friend and whispered to be safe, not to worry too much, and she'd take care of the kids.

 

 

She was quiet in the car. It was disconcerting since she was passion and flurries of action to help her patients and to deal with her family. Nico glanced over at her, concerned because he was no longer sure how to help her.

Dani felt Nico's eyes on her as he drove them to the team's house. She kept her own eyes staring blankly out the window. There was nothing he could do right now to help her. She had brought danger and evil into her children's lives, it didn't matter that she had had no choice: that was cold comfort right now in the face of everything.

Nico let his eyes wander the approach to the front door. He knew his men had secured the house and brought him a few things. He nodded to one of the men as he stepped from the shadows and opened the door for them. Nico turned to scan the street one last time as Dani entered the house.

Dani stared at the firearm and boxes of ammunition on the kitchen counter. She blinked when Nico moved passed her to pick up and examine the firearm. She saw how familiar he was with it but it concerned her. As long as she had known him, he hadn't carried a gun. She knew he preferred to use threats and money to make situations disappear. She knew he and the team were very pissed that they couldn't beat Rat Bastard up for them, but this was different. It was as if he was reverting to something—some _one_ —else because of her. And she didn't think she liked it.

"I thought you didn't make people disappear permanently." Dani's joke fell flat.

Nico blinked and turned to look at her, raising an eyebrow in a silent question.

"That isn't you, Nico." Dani waved at the firearm still in his hand. "You have never carried a gun while I have worked for the Hawks."

Nico continued to watch her. "Not true. I have worked security details where I have been armed during your employment with the Hawks."

Dani frowned. "That is not what I meant."

"And this is not just a patient with dangerous friends. This is a security detail where a man is a direct threat to another person, a team asset who needs protecting from physical force." Nico stated.

Dani rubbed her temple. "I know that, Nico. And I guess I knew the security teams with the kids, Jeanette, Ma, and the ladies are armed, it's just-." Dani sighed and stopped her words. She looked up at Nico. "It's just different to think of you with a gun. I'll wrap my head around it eventually."

Nico nodded. "Doctor Santino, this decision was not made lightly. Carrying a firearm changes many plays. It adds elements that cannot be easily controlled and can escalate things beyond where we would like them. But it also provides a way to take the threat out even before it is close enough to hurt or touch." He studied her a moment before he continued, "You do know that I am proficient with this gun."

Dani smiled. "You? Not proficient at something super-secret-spy-ish?" She chuckled as she headed out of the kitchen and grabbed her bag. "Have you made a claim on a room?" She called through the small house.

"The men put my stuff in one of them." Nico answered, shaking his head.


	4. Fic: [NR] Mix of Dark Minors and Sunny Majors (Chapter 4/14)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She'd be willing to bet the Nico of reality was somewhere between her good guy and his evil one but he wasn't ready to see that just yet. "Nico, I work on feelings and intuition. Of course I see the potential. You work in cold facts and realities that aren't pretty so you see the bad. In order for music to be beautiful, there has to be a mix of sunny majors with the dark, harsh minors."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, you can blame or credit, jeer or cheer brokenroots & goodisrelative for this 92-page (20+ chapter) fic. Brokenroots started me thinking about NR fic (go read hers, it's better) and then they both beat me up to get more. Please note, this fic is done. finished. fin. over. ended. ... that doesn't mean there might not be a sequel. at least a "Sunday Supper at Mama C's" [you'll meet Mama C in a much later chapter]

Mix of Dark Minors and Sunny Majors  
 **Word Count:** Chapter 4: 3,715; _[48,282 total]_  
 **Rating:** PG-13  
 **Pairing:** Nico/Dani—Possibly. Eventually?  
 **Spoilers:** References something from 1x07 and 1x11.  
 **Disclaimer:** don't own. Don't profit. Don't … a lot of things  
 **Summary:** She'd be willing to bet the Nico of reality was somewhere between her good guy and his evil one but he wasn't ready to see that just yet. "Nico, I work on feelings and intuition. Of course I see the potential. You work in cold facts and realities that aren't pretty so you see the bad. In order for music to be beautiful, there has to be a mix of sunny majors with the dark, harsh minors."  
 **Author's Note:** So, you can blame or credit, jeer or cheer brokenroots  & goodisrelative for this 92-page (20+ chapter) fic. Brokenroots started me thinking about NR fic (go read hers, it's better) and then they both beat me up to get more. Please note, this fic is done. finished. fin. over. ended. ... that doesn't mean there might not be a sequel. at least a "Sunday Supper at Mama C's" [you'll meet Mama C in a much later chapter]

 

 

-%-

"Doctor D, whaaaz up? Come on, up top, Doc!" TK rolled into her stadium office. "It's a _great_ morning! I got offered a new sponsorship! Can ya see me swinging in style with Rayban?!" He plopped himself on her couch. "I'll get Jaybird and Lins some, they'll be the en-vy of everyone!"

Dani raised an eyebrow with a frown. "TK, we talked about this." Trying to use her patient voice and keep the exasperation out of her tone.

"Doc, come on, they's just glasses, won't be signed or nothing." TK whined.

Dani rolled her eyes and frowned when Nico appeared in her door. She waved him in, "Yes, Nico?"

"There is a situation, unrelated, that needs my attention and will take me out of the stadium for a few hours. You do not leave the secure areas. If necessary I will enlist TK to keep you here."

TK blinked. Then it dawned on him. "Wait! _I_ get to tell Doctor D what to do? Really? This could be interesting."

Dani glared at Nico. "Do _not_ even think about it, Terrence! Nico was only kidding. There is plenty of security around and I am sure that there is one down the hall from my office and another watching all the video feeds of the stadium as we speak. I am fine. I'll be here. I'll call Jeanette and cancel lunch, but, Nico, you owe me. And it _is_ Tuesday so I know just how you can make it up to me."

Nico blinked once then steadied his gaze on her. She was blackmailing him. In front of a witness. Using information he had given up to her not long ago.

Dani just held his glare.

TK looked from one to the other. "Hey, my man Nico, should I come back later? Ya two need a room? I gots that meeting with Coach."

Neither one was willing to break the staring contest but TK was laughing.

Dani sighed, he was _her_ patient, so she cut her eyes over to TK. "Terrence." The threat was implied in the tone—and the steel in her eyes. She knew Nico was gone as soon as she broke eye contact, but she'd deal with that later, _at_ the restaurant.

"Awww. Come on, Doctor D! Yas two were holding a staring contest, what ya expect me to say?" TK was back to whining.

Dani laughed. "God, you are good for me right now, TK. I need to laugh."

TK smiled. "Glad I can do something to help, Doc."

And with that one comment, she knew why he was talking about bringing the kids sunglasses. Dani smiled over at him, "TK, you can visit the chicklets. There will be boundaries, but you can visit them. In fact, I would like you to. It will help them get their minds off the threat on me."

TK stared over at her. Not sure if he was more surprised at her use of his term for her kids, chicklets, or at her encouraging him to visit her kids when the boundaries for that had been written in stone before. He blew out a breath and studied her for a moment. She was squinting more today, the bags under her eyes were darker this morning, and, he remembered, her hand had shook when Nico appeared in the door. "What happened?"

Dani's head snapped up. She had been writing something down. "Oh, Terrence." She closed her eyes. She had meant to call him last night but she had been so emotionally rung out. She stood up quickly and moved to sit next to him on the couch. She grabbed his hand and frowned when his eyes darkened. "No, Terrence. Nothing happened to me physically." She reached up to touch his face. "He destroyed my home office and broke things in and around the house. Mostly in my office. No one was home."

TK stiffened. "You okay, Doctor D?"

Dani offered him a smile. "I am, Terrence, I promise you that. I moved the kids in with Jeanette and Nico has me shacked up in a Hawk's guest house."

TK smiled at her word choice, just as she knew he would. "So you and my man Nico shacking up together? Hmm. This has potential to be really bad for me. One of you knows too much of what I have done and do as I do it, the other of you makes me want to make better decisions. You two team up and I'm never going to live down any mistakes I make."

Dani shook her head as she rolled her eyes. "Everyone makes mistakes, TK. Nico and I are not excluded from that." She caught TK's raised brow and chuckled. "Okay, so Nico makes less than us mere mortals and can hide his better, but he makes them."

"So, Doc, what does it matter that it is Tuesday?" TK asked.

Dani smiled. "It makes all the difference in the world, Terrence." Dani paused as she stood up. "It means Monday is over."

TK groaned and rolled his eyes.

 

-%-

Dani frowned as she looked at her watch again. It was after 3 PM, Nico had been gone over five hours, and she was getting worried about it. She looked around her office and sighed. She needed different scenery so she headed over to Nico's office. She smiled, helped herself to the long black coat he left on his coat rack and curled up on his couch. Maybe she would just rest her eyes for a bit.

 

-%-

"Damnit! Where the hell is Doctor D? She isn't allowed to the leave the secure areas!" TK swore moving from her office down the hall to Mattie D's. "Have _you_ seen Doctor D?"

Matt shook his head no. "Haven't seen her for a few hours. Last I saw her she was in her office reading a file."

TK slammed his hand into the wall.

"Terrence, what do you need Doctor Santino for?" Nico asked quietly, standing behind the player.

"She isn't in her office. No one has seen her for at least an hour. Something could-." TK started, clearly worried. "I know you were joking about me making sure she stayed in secure areas, but what if-?"

Nico sighed. "Terrence, she has not left the secure areas. I would have been alerted if she has. Maybe she is just avoiding you? Have you been pestering her today?"

 

 

Dani wasn't sure what threw her out of sleep, but the ruckus in the hall might have had something to do with it. She barged out of Nico's office, bumping into one of his security men. She was blinking at the sudden harsh light and Nico's coat was still on her shoulders. "What is it? What's wrong? TK?"

"No, ma'am. TK just couldn't find you and got worried."

Dani nodded. "Okay, where-?" But then she heard TK and sighed. She shook her head, trying to clear it, to wake up. "TK! I was resting. What do you need?" she called down the hall. She reached out to the wall to stead herself but her hand landed on the solid muscle of the security man.

"You are okay?" TK asked as he rounded the corner.

"I was fine. Woke up too fast right now. I'm really okay, Terrence." Dani nodded. _God did these lights have to be so harsh?!_

"Good." TK smiled and turned away. He closed his eyes in relief and then headed off down the hall.

"When Nico gets back, just tell him I need a minute to wake up." Dani sighed and turned to head back into Nico's office. "What's your name?" She turned back to the security man.

"Frank, ma'am." He didn't smile.

"Well, Frank, thank you for standing guard."

"It's my job, ma'am." He shrugged and turned to put his back against the wall again, taking up his post.

Dani sighed and shut herself back in Nico's office. She sat on the edge of his desk and scrubbed her hands over his face. God, the nap was a bad idea: it just left her more tired and feeling retched. When her phone rang she groaned and answered it without looking at who it was.

_"You should be here watching your son practice. A mother should take an interest in her children's activities, don't you think, Doc D?"_

Dani just reacted, bursting out of Nico's office right into Frank. She used him to steady herself and looked up at him with fear clearly written on her face.

"Boss, something's wrong. Her phone. _Now_!" Frank whispered into some communications device and reached out to hold her up.

 _< "Why aren't you at his practice? Can't you hear them doing drills?"_ Then there was cheering and yelling in the background before just silence.

"Where is he, Frank?"

"The boss will be -." Frank's eyes moved to something behind her.

"Dani, he is nowhere near the school. Ray Jay doesn't even have practice outside today." Nico stated from behind her. He reached out to catch her as she stumbled turning to face him.

Dani reached out blindly and Nico caught her under her elbows and helped her over to a chair in his office. He glanced back at Frank to close the door.

"Dani, listen to me. He was _not_ near the school. Practice was inside today. Xeno talked with their coach and they did weight training _inside_ today. Rat Bastard was nowhere near the school." Nico kept talking until it penetrated her mind.

Dani looked down at him. He was squatting in front of her as she sat in his chair. "You are sure?"

Nico nodded. "Yes. Do you want to talk with Xeno?"

Dani shook her head and just burst into tears.

She leaned forward and Nico sighed. His hands were still at her elbows so he lifted her to stand. She wrapped her arms around him and he tried to suppress the shudders running through her small form. He sighed and just kept his arms tight around her and waited her out.

She took five minutes in the security of his arms before she started taking deep breaths and brushing at her tears. She pulled back slightly and his arms loosened.

Nico rested his hands on her hips, needing to make sure she was steady on her feet. He took a small step back and looked down at her face. Silently, he asked if she was all right.

Dani saw the question in his eyes and offered him a watery smile. "Thank you, Nico, for holding me up while I cracked."

Nico pushed a strand of hair out of her face as he let her totally go. "Not cracking, Dani, _venting_ stress." His words were soft in the darkness of his office.

Dani nodded. "I need a minute or two to pull myself together. A mirror." She chuckled. "I cannot look good right now."

Nico shrugged. "What's a little mascara running between friends?"

Dani looked over at him and stared. He was smiling. She just shook her head and chuckled. "Thanks, Nico. I needed that."

Nico just nodded and opened a door Dani just assumed was a closet. It wasn't. She squinted at him. "A bathroom in your office? How can I rate one of these?"

Nico shook his head. "Years of faithful service."

Dani laughed as she closed the door behind her. _Holy god! She looked like hell!_ Sighing, she grabbed a towel, some soap and just washed all of her makeup off. She'd deal with going naked. At least she had mascara in her purse. She gave herself another minute in the bathroom, staring at herself in the mirror and sighed.

"Thanks, Ni-." Dani cut herself off when she realized no one was in the office anymore. Sighing, she opened the door to head out and ran smack into Frank again. "God, Frank, I am sorry! What is that? The third time? I'm not usually this clumsy!"

The big man's laughter was low and rumbly. "No worries, Doctor Santino."

"What time is it, anyway?" Dani asked, looking from Nico to Frank.

"Sixteen thirty, ma'am." Frank answered.

Dani looked at him blankly. Nico rescued her. "4:30 PM, Doctor Santino."

Dani chuckled. "Military time, subtract twelve. Got it now. Thank you, Frank." Turning to Nico, she said, "I'd like to talk with Xeno now." She held up her hand when he started to talk. "I know in my mind, Nico. I know you and your men would never let anything happen to my children, but they are my children and I just need to hear it from the one close to them right now, the one who has eyes on them."

Nico nodded and pulled out his phone, dialed a number, and handed it to Dani.

She sighed, thanked Xeno, and hung up the phone. "Now what do we do?"

Nico shook his head. She was still running at full speed. "I have about an hour's worth of stuff I need to get done here. The situation that took me out of the stadium this morning ended up taking more time than I anticipated. Can you keep yourself occupied for an hour or should I get Terrence to keep you company?"

Dani scrunched her nose and glared at Nico. "Do not forget that you owe me dinner at Tuesday Night Restaurant."

"I believe you blinked first."

Dani waved a finger in his face. "That had nothing to do with you owing me dinner, Nico. The staring contest was because you couldn't believe I would blackmail you in front of a witness. And considering just who the witness is, _someone_ had to deal with him and he _is_ my client and it _was_ during his session."

Nico shook his head. "I disagree. The staring contest had everything to do with your proclamation that I owed you dinner. I did not make you cancel your lunch with your friend."

Dani stared at him. It dawned on her then. "So let me get this straight, if I want to meet with friends for lunch, I can just have them come to the stadium. That is what you are implying right now."

Nico raised his hand. "That is not what I said."

"Boss, do you really-." Frank cut himself off at a glare from Nico.

Dani tilted her head, her eyes staying on Nico. "Thank you, Frank, but not necessary. Nico and I have these arguments whenever we are in each other's company for more than eight minutes. As for you, Mr. Careles, having lunch with a friend is an in-person thing. Your orders kept me here in this stadium, in the secure areas, and I did not think it appropriate to have Jeanette come here for our lunch. Hence why I cancelled on my best friend. So, I would conclude that, yes, the unrelated situation that took you out of the stadium for longer than you anticipated, was the reason I cancelled my lunch with Jeanette."

Nico wondered just when he had lost control of this conversation. "About an hour, then we leave, Doctor Santino."

Dani smiled. She knew this time he blinked first. "I'll be in with the Team. We have a group session at 5 PM. Should be about an hour, so you have a bit more than an hour, Nico, to accomplish what you need to."

Nico blinked. "Should I-."

"The hell you should. You scare the crap out of them, Nico, I do not need that at this session." Dani glared.

Nico took a step back with a chuckle. "Noted."

Dani rolled her neck and headed away from his office.

 

-%-

Dani couldn't ask for a better discussion. The players were taking this seriously and policing themselves on the few inappropriate comments.

"Doc, how do we tell we are stepping out of bounds? It isn't like there are lines in the grass!"

Dani smiled. "At least you all realized there _are_ out of bounds." She sighed. "Seriously, what is out for one woman is can be in for another. We are women, not a field with concrete lines." Everyone groaned. Dani held up her hand. " _But_ there are clues. A lot of women who work in male-dominated fields or in men's locker rooms are more tolerant. It should not be directed at her person specifically. If it is more generic, that is better. Also, you shouldn't be backing her into a corner or a wall physically as you say something. There shouldn't be intimidation in your voice." Dani watched the men nod to each other. She smiled, they would try. It was all she could really ask for.

Dani picked up another thread of conversation and sighed. "Men, I know you have beautiful, willing women throwing yourself at you all the time: in hotel rooms, bars, clubs, even on the street. It is one thing for you to expect it out there. It should never be expected nor tolerated _inside_ here. Think of this as sanctuary. The women should get it from your sexual innuendos and you should get it from women throwing themselves at you. And if it does happen, -."

"I need to know about it. Staff is vetted heavily before they are hired here for a reason: to protect this team." Nico spoke up from the doorway. "I'm sorry to interrupt your session, but it is after 6 PM and some have appointments elsewhere."

Dani nodded. "Thank you, Nico. Guys, it will take time. It will get easier. We'll do a few more of these group sessions, okay? Thanks for participating, guys."

 

Dani made her way to the back of the room and to Nico. She smiled over at him. "Let me grab my purse and we can head back to the house."

Nico nodded and held open the door for her.

 

Dani had closed her eyes in the car while he drove, but when she opened her eyes, she blinked. "What?"

"We do need to eat. And it _is_ Tuesday." Nico shrugged. "Unless you want to return to the house?"

Dani was quick to shake her head. "No. We don't have any food there anyway."

His hand was on her back as he walked her into the restaurant and then waited a moment for his table to be readied. He helped her with her chair then sat across from her. "Wine?"

Dani nodded. "Just a glass of red. I'll embarrass myself if I have more than one right now."

Nico nodded. He lifted his head and immediately the waitress from that long ago Tuesday was at the table. He asked her for two glasses of malbec and she told them the specials.

Dani smiled. This interaction made him seem human. Idly, she wondered if that was why he had fought against bringing her here. _Wait a minute. This place was_ packed _and it was nearly 7 PM and the line they had skipped was long._ She tilted her head and studied him a moment. "You called here to say you were coming before you broke up the group session." It wasn't a question, just an observation that had her smiling.

"It is usually busy here no matter the day. I try and give them notice if I will be coming during their busier hours. It makes it easier on the staff." Nico nodded, pleasantly surprised she came to that conclusion.

Dani nodded and sipped her wine that had just appeared on the table. She looked down at it then up at Nico. "This is really good. You said it was a malbec? Where is that from?"

"Malbec, it was started in France as Cot, but in recent years it has taken over in Argentina and a bit in Chile. Good ones can be very good. It's dry with a bit of berry and pepper." Nico informed her.

Dani smiled. "What book are you reading now?"

Nico held her gaze as he returned her question. "Which type?"

Dani blinked. "You are one of those annoying people who can be reading multiple books at once and keep them straight. I've moved on to _Girl with the Dragon Tattoo_. I like it. It's dark, depressing at times, frighteningly vivid at others, but it is so different from American books, that I really like it. Even if I have to put it down at times to just pause in the reading of it."

Nico smiled. "Yes, he was a good author. I read once that 'Americans live surrounded by the sunny majors' [reference: _Siberian Light_ by Robin White] and while the author was comparing us with Russians, I think it goes well with Sweeds. They know how to live in the dark, to survive there, because nature puts them directly in it. The only place nature puts Americans directly in the dark is Alaska and many do not consider that a part of the United States. We live our days in the sun. We are not attacked on our soil except in rare times, September 11th was the first time since Pearl Harbor and even that wasn't the mainland. Sure we are involved in war but it isn't on our homeland and it is so far removed from the people unless you know a soldier there."

Dani blinked and nodded, she looked over at the waitress who stood at their table. "Sorry, I haven't even looked at the menu." She eyed Nico. "I'm sure whatever Mr. Careles chooses will be enjoyable, so I'll take whatever he is having." She really didn't think she could make a decision right now.

Nico nodded. "The special is fine, Marcie, so two of them, please. And salads with the house dressing."

"Very well, Mr. Careles, ma'am." And she was gone.

"You bring up an interesting point, Nico." Dani sat back in her chair and sipped her wine. "One that I am going to have to think on for a bit. I know I agree but I still need to think on it and right now, my mind isn't at its best."

Nico nodded. "So you are taking back book club?"

Dani chuckled. "No. Ray can keep Book Club. I chose the high road: to read for my own pleasure. I doubt I will pick up every Oprah or Booklist top seller, but we'll see."  


[Chapter 3](http://bets-cyn.livejournal.com/133465.html)


	5. Fic: [NR] Mix of Dark Minors and Sunny Majors (Chapter 5/14)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She'd be willing to bet the Nico of reality was somewhere between her good guy and his evil one but he wasn't ready to see that just yet. "Nico, I work on feelings and intuition. Of course I see the potential. You work in cold facts and realities that aren't pretty so you see the bad. In order for music to be beautiful, there has to be a mix of sunny majors with the dark, harsh minors."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, you can blame or credit, jeer or cheer brokenroots & goodisrelative for this 92-page (20+ chapter) fic. Brokenroots started me thinking about NR fic (go read hers, it's better) and then they both beat me up to get more. Please note, this fic is done. finished. fin. over. ended. ... that doesn't mean there might not be a sequel. at least a "Sunday Supper at Mama C's" [you'll meet Mama C in a much later chapter]

Mix of Dark Minors and Sunny Majors  
 **Word Count:** Chapter 5: 3,803; _[48,282 total]_  
 **Rating:** PG-13  
 **Pairing:** Nico/Dani—Possibly. Eventually?  
 **Spoilers:** References something from 1x07 and 1x11.  
 **Disclaimer:** don't own. Don't profit. Don't … a lot of things  
 **Summary:** She'd be willing to bet the Nico of reality was somewhere between her good guy and his evil one but he wasn't ready to see that just yet. "Nico, I work on feelings and intuition. Of course I see the potential. You work in cold facts and realities that aren't pretty so you see the bad. In order for music to be beautiful, there has to be a mix of sunny majors with the dark, harsh minors."  
 **Author's Note:** So, you can blame or credit, jeer or cheer brokenroots  & goodisrelative for this 92-page (20+ chapter) fic. Brokenroots started me thinking about NR fic (go read hers, it's better) and then they both beat me up to get more. Please note, this fic is done. finished. fin. over. ended. ... that doesn't mean there might not be a sequel. at least a "Sunday Supper at Mama C's" [you'll meet Mama C in a much later chapter]

 

-%-

"Nico, thank you. This was just what I needed. Especially after the call." Dani smiled up at him as they walked out of the restaurant two hours later. The conversation had been easy, more in the sense it was about a variety of things, not the subject matter, and constantly flowing. He had a way of making her think outside of her own little world and she liked that. He had succeeded in getting her to drink a second glass of wine, a South African shiraz-pinotage bled that had also been very good.

"My pleasure, Doctor." He smiled down at her and wondered when it had become easy to talk with her. She challenged him with conversation, keeping him on his toes, but it had been pleasant. She hadn't tried to prod his secrets out of him but he had talked of all things impersonal, giving her vague insights into him without any real resistance.

She was asleep five minutes into the ride, her head leaning against the door.

 

As the pulled into the house they were using, Nico sighed. He really didn't want to wake her up. He considered carrying her inside but he wasn't sure about her reaction and he did not want to startle or scare her: she was finally relaxed.

"Hmmm. We home, Nico?" Dani asked as she stretched.

"We have arrived at the house, yes." Nico sighed, not sure why he should be so disappointed at the loss of an opportunity he didn't want.

Dani looked over to study his profile. "Hey, what is it? Is there a situation? You know you can leave me with your men, right?" She reached over to cover his hand on the seat between then.

Nico frowned and looked down at their hands. "No." he denied, not sure what he was denying at first then he focused on her words. "No situation I need to fix. And, no, it is not okay for me to leave you. I told your children-."

"Nico, you can take care of me without being right here with me. If something else is important, I need to know you would go deal with it. Babysitting me shouldn't take precedence over _every_ thing." Dani cut him off. "Contrary to what you saw today, I can take care of myself. I won't crack every time."

Nico shook his head. When he was about to say something, she squeezed his hand and started again, "Nico, I'm serious. I am not saying I don't like you being around. Your presence is a security blanket: I know nothing will happen when you are around. But that doesn't mean I can carry that everywhere." Dani sighed and let his hand go, moving to open her car door. Suddenly, there was a man there to help her out. She smiled at the man and waited for Nico to meet her on the front walk. "Nico, I'd like to see the two women tomorrow evening."

Nico nodded. This he could handle. "I will make the arrangements in the morning. Together or separately? Where would you like to meet?"

Dani rubbed her brow, pushing the hair back out of her face. "Together, and I am not sure. I want somewhere we can talk privately. Ideally, my office, but that is out of question."

Nico frowned. "What about the stadium office? Or is it too soon for the women to return there? If it is after 7 PM, the players will all be gone, as will most of the staff."

"That will be fine." Dani smiled. "What time do we head out to the Stadium tomorrow? How many men on duty tomorrow morning?" She groaned. "We needed to stop at the store."

Nico sighed. "I will have one of the men venture to the grocery store if you make a list tonight. Five men, why? And I was thinking you do not have appointments with the players until 10 AM, so we can leave here at 9 AM."

"Because I am making them breakfast sandwiches." Dani declared then headed into the kitchen to look for paper and a pen. It took her a second try, realizing that she had written the first list out as if she was home with two teenagers in the house. Sighing, she rewrote the list for two people but extra breakfast things.

She handed the list to Nico in the living room. "I know it's early, not even 10 PM yet, but it's been a long and trying day. I'll see you in the morning, Nico. Please try to get some rest."

 

-%-

He woke up to the smell of coffee and wondered which of the men he would have to thank for that. He had ended up turning in early—for him—at midnight. He glanced at the clock and blinked when he realized it said 647 AM.

He headed for the shower.

 

 

Dani heard the shower and knew Nico was up, so she finished washing the men's breakfast dishes and turned the burner back on. She set up two omelets, deciding she could stomach food now. She looked at the clock and sighed. It still wasn't even 7 AM yet: two more hours before they leave for the stadium. She didn't even know what she was going to _do_ all day there! There was only so many sessions she could transcribe, so many sessions she could have, so many TK crises she could handle before she went mental with boredom.

Nico blinked. How had he missed her getting up? She hadn't taken a shower yet: she was only in yoga pants and a t-shirt, her hair just pulled back in a ponytail, and she hadn't made up her face yet. She looked so much younger. He shook his head to clear those thoughts from his mind.

"Morning, Doctor Santino." Nico smiled as she flinched. He moved to get a cup of coffee.

Dani muttered under her breath about stealth and payback before she flipped the omelet and smiled over at him. "You seem chipper this morning. Omelets will be ready in a minute. The men already ate their breakfast sandwiches. And, no, they did not let me go outside."

Nico smiled at the aggravation in her voice at her last comment. "My men know the rules, Doctor Santino, otherwise they would not be in my employ."

Dani nodded. "Well that's an understatement of the year if I heard one. Could you grab the orange juice out of the fridge? If I drink anymore coffee right now, TK wouldn't be able to keep up with me."

Nico was at the fridge but turned to look at her at that comment. "Just how many cups have you had this morning?"

Dani paused to think. "Well, this is the third pot I've brewed; the men all had at least two cups each. I think six." She shook her head. "No, seven. I forgot the one I just finished."

Nico's eyes narrowed. "In how long a time period?"

Dani eyed the clock. "Two hours."

Nico's eyes widened. "That's one every 17 minutes!"

Dani did the math in her head. "Yup, it is. Hence OJ with breakfast." She motioned for him to turn back to the fridge for the OJ. "Omelets are ready, Nico, so hurry up with the juice."

 

 

She was in the shower when Nico meet with his men. "Tomorrow morning someone needs to watch her coffee intake. She had seven cups this morning in two hours."

They chuckled. "I didn't realize she could drink you under the table, Boss." Someone stated.

Nico glared. "Any trouble with the others?"

"You would have been the first to know, Boss. We'll have two sit here on the house, the others will grab some rest."

"First I would like a team to tail us to the stadium and have another tail us back late tonight. Just see if anyone is out there." Nico told them. "Stay back and do not engage but collect information and, if possible, tail them back to wherever they go."

The men nodded and Nico headed back inside. The shower was off, surprising him. He figured she'd take her time.

 

Dani looked at herself in the mirror and let out a slow breath. She put on her makeup lightly this morning. After yesterday's phone call and crying, she didn't want a repeat of that scary look. Since she was talking to the ladies tonight, she went casual with jeans, low-heeled boots, and tank top with blazer over it: the stadium's AC could get chilly.

 

Nico studied her as she walked down the hall to the living room at 8 AM. He noticed the lighter makeup and wondered if yesterday's crying had anything to do with it. Then he noticed she went with shorter heels. He always thought she wore the ridiculously high heels to put herself on more even footing with her patients because of her small size. He wondered if he had been wrong there and it was just a woman thing.

Dani eyed him studying her. _Did he notice that her heels were shorter and she had put on less make up?_ Smiling to herself, she decided they should just head to the stadium. "We can head to the stadium now, if you want, Nico."

Nico's eyes narrowed. She wanted something from him. He wasn't sure how he knew, he just did. "What do you want in return?"

Dani blinked. She hadn't meant to make it sound like she wanted something from him. Or was she letting his suspicious nature rub off on her? "Why is it assumed I want something when all I did was say we can head to the stadium early? We are both ready, we can do work there while there is not much either of us can do from here." Her voice sounded harsher than she had intended. Maybe if her sleep hadn't been riddled with nightmares of her son coming home in a cast. Or not at all.

Nico studied her. "How much sleep did you get last night?"

Dani shrugged. "Enough." She turned from his probing eyes, grabbing her purse to make it look like she had a reason other than hiding from him. Not that she even understood why she was hiding this from him. She sighed, maybe because she knew last night was the first decent night's rest he had gotten in a while?

Nico reached out to touch her arm. She jerked to face him: she hadn't realized he had moved closer to her. "Why are you hiding the fact that you did not have a good night's sleep? Your day was rough yesterday, nightmare material, really, so it should be expected that you had a rough time sleeping."

Dani looked down at the hand still on her arm, not wanting to meet his knowing eyes. "It was a bad night." She moved her head to look up at him. "It was a bad night, Nico, and I just don't want to think about it anymore. Ray Jay is safe. I know that. And I know Xeno will make sure nothing will happen to either of my kids." She straightened herself before she continued, "It's time to let that go and move on to this new day."

Nico nodded. He felt guilty for sleeping so well and he still was not sure how his alarm hadn't gone off. He knew he had set it for 6 AM to go for a run.

Dani's eyes caught something in his face and she wondered if she should ask him about it. She shrugged. "What has you so puzzled? You annoyed I got passed you without you knowing this morning?"

Nico smiled down at her. "No, not annoyed. Impressed. Are you ready to depart, Doctor Santino?"

His calling her that, especially now that they were sharing a house, was going to send her over the edge soon but she just didn't have the energy to do that fight justice. She nodded and they headed out.

 

-%-

It was almost noon when Dani headed to Nico's office, hoping to find him there. He hadn't told her he was leaving the stadium so he had to be around somewhere. She hesitated at the door: to just go in or knock? She had just raised her hand to knock when the door opened and the man she had been looking for was standing in the doorway.

"Did you need something, Doctor Santino?"

Dani smiled: he had opened the door, literally and figuratively. "Yes, actually I do. I was wondering if we could head out of the stadium to grab lunch."

Nico frowned. That was a lot of unnecessary lack of security for a simple meal. But then he made the mistake of meeting her eyes: there was no denying the restlessness and need there. "Where would you like to go?"

Dani shrugged, "Really, Nico, I just need out of here. We'll be here until late tonight and I need a break. Dinner is out since I have a meeting with Coach at 530 PM. We'll need to order in or something for that."

Nico nodded as he thought for a moment. "That can be arranged. What do you feel like for lunch? Deli? Thai? Middle Eastern?" He already knew they would pick up the food and eat somewhere else.

Dani blinked. "We can go out?" She had been expecting to negotiate more. "Middle Eastern." Dani decided quickly. "I would _love_ a falafel!" She grabbed his arm and hauled him out of the doorway before he changed his mind.

 

Nico didn't like how her face fell when she realized he had ordered their food to go. Dani sighed, resigned to more time at the stadium until he pulled into the empty beach parking lot and parked next to a bench. She couldn't stop her initial reaction: she leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek before bolting out of the car.

Nico sighed as he got out a few moments after her. He noticed while she had bolted out of the car, she had stopped not far from it and took a good look at her surroundings. He had to smile at that; she was thinking about her security much more than he thought she would.

Dani backtracked the four steps to the car and tossed her heels on the floor before heading over to the bench Nico had parked next to. "Thanks, Nico, this is wonderful. Exactly what I needed!"

Nico just nodded and sat to eat his chicken gyro.

 

-%-

Nico frowned. _Why the hell was his alarm going off now? It was 6 PM._ He stared at the phone. Really? He set it for 6 PM?! He sighed and fixed it for tomorrow.

 

-%-

 

The unexpected lunch at the beach kept her on a high through her meeting with Coach Parnell. He was frustrated with Booz. Understandable, the boy had retreated a step, but he was coming around again, it would just take some time.

"I took the liberty of ordering dinner while you were in with Coach." Nico stated as she walked out of Coach's office.

Dani's hand went to her heart and she swore. "Damnit, Nico! I am getting you a friggin bell if you keep this up."

"And you would put it where? My shoe? A ninja trains to walk without breaking rice paper, keeping his advances silent." Nico smirked.

Dani glared. "Did you say food? What did you order?"

 

-%-

The meeting with the two women went well. They walked the empty halls with Nico shadowing them. They talked in Dani's office of fears and deciding if they wanted to come back to work with the team. And they asked how Dani was doing. For that, she took a page from Nico's book and kept her answers vague and short: she didn't want to frighten them anymore, especially since they were doing so well.

 

 

Nico waited until they were in the car to ask how the session went. He could see that it went well in her face, but he asked anyway. "The session went better than expected?"

Dani nodded. "They are going to come through this, Nico. They are strong and one will definitely be back to work. The other one needs a bit more time to work through this." She sighed. "I pulled a you and gave short, vague answers on how I was doing. I didn't want to frighten them right now."

Nico chuckled at that. "She'll get a bump in pay."

Dani shook her head. "No, Nico. This isn't going to be fixed with money. She comes back on her own terms or she doesn't come back at all." She sighed, "God, I am exhausted. I still have to call the kids, talk with Jeanette, speak to Ma, and yell at TK for that damn picture he tweeted." She looked over at Nico with narrowed eyes. "Hey, how come _you_ didn't deal with that picture? Or stop him. No one could stop him that I know, it is TK, after all. But you could have made him do something _after_ it got posted."

Nico shrugged. "Responding or adding to the picture would only make it worse, keep it around longer. Sometimes it is best to just let it go."

 

Nico eyed the approach even as he parked in the driveway. They walked in quiet and he left her alone in the kitchen to make her calls.

 

Dani knew Nico was in the living room on his iPad, probably checking tweets and Facebook statuses, and monitoring his emails when she put her phone down after the last call. She rubbed her face and glanced at her watch, better than she expected, it was just midnight. At least the last call with TK had made her laugh.

She headed through the living room and frowned when Nico wasn't there. While his iPad was missing, his phone was sitting on the table. That was odd. She wondered if something had happened—Dani shook her head. He would tell her. She glanced at the phone again and took a step closer. Her eyes flicked between the two doorways as she reached for it and made one small adjustment. She was already in the bathroom when she heard the door close in the kitchen. She called out goodnight to him ten minutes later and told him not to stay up too late.

 

-%-

Nico rolled over and glanced at the alarm clock. He scowled and scrolled through last night. He used his shower to plan out his actions. There needed to be consequences, she was the one saying people had to take responsibility for their actions and accept the consequences of them.

 

"Thanks, Doc. We really appreciate the breakfasts. It's not usually a perk of the job." Nico heard Frank say as he neared the kitchen door. "Say, doc, how much coffee have you had this morning?"

Dani laughed outright. "Two cups, Frank. What happened yesterday won't happen again, no worries there. It freaked TK out yesterday morning when I meet with him at 10 AM. He decided that only he should be able to speak that fast."

"Morning, Frank, Doctor Santino." Nico walked into the room, ending their little banter, perhaps a touch more forcefully than he had intended.

Frank eyed the boss and he nodded in greeting then turned to Dani and gave her a smile. "Again, thanks, Doc. Enjoy the day."

Dani looked over at Nico. "Get up on the wrong side of the bed, Nico?"

Nico kept his eyes on her as he walked over to the coffee pot and poured himself a cup.

Dani knew he was trying to get her to blink and that it was time to face the consequences of changing his alarm two mornings in a row, so she just stared back at him. "At least one of us should get sleep at night, Nico. I won't apologize for doing it two nights in a row nor will I change your alarm again."

Nico blinked. He had not thought of her admitting it before he even brought it up in the scenarios he had run through in the shower.

Dani's eyes got wide. _He blinked!_ She had expected quiet, hard words and angry glares. This scenario wasn't anything she had expected.

"Wait." Nico raised his hand. " _Two_ nights? You changed it two nights ago? When?"

Dani's grin lit up the room. "There is no way you are getting me to answer that one, Nico."

Nico narrowed his eyes and took a step towards her. "Doctor Santino-."

Dani got right in his face. "It is Dani or Danielle. We are sharing the same friggin house, Nico, you can damn well call me by my first name. Doctor Santino is fine at the stadium or with players but I am sick and tired of you using it as a shield when we are alone."

Nico tilted his head, studying her, trying to figure out where this was coming from. "I call you Dani."

She glared at him. "Only strategically, Nico, when it suits your needs. To calm me down, usually."

Nico shook his head. "Not true, Dani, usually it is when I do not even realize until it is out." _Wait, had he just said that_ out loud _?_ From the stunned look on her face, he had. This morning was totally out of hand and he suddenly had no thought on how to get it back under his control.

Frank opened the door and walked in saying, "Doc, the guys say thanks. Here's the last dish." He stopped mid-stride and wondered what he had just walked into.

Dani turned and smiled for the other man. "No problem, Frank. Thanks for bring it in; just leave it on the counter." She kept her back to Nico as she fixed him a breakfast sandwich then washed the dishes.

Nico looked from the sandwich to Dani and just decided to follow her lead and leave the conversation where it had died. The fact that he was elated that one of his men had broken up the conversation, well, he would keep that bit to himself and maybe give Frank a bonus. "I will probably have to leave the stadium for a few hours this morning. Most likely around 10 AM."

Dani nodded. "Same unrelated situation or a new one?" she asked with a smirk.

"Different." Nico responded. "This is good. Thank you, again, for breakfast, Dani."

She smiled. "You are welcome. I'm going to take a quick shower and then we can head out."

Nico looked at the coffee pot. "Should I be concerned Terrence will be freaked out by the speed of your conversation this morning, Dani?"

Dani poked her head back in the kitchen. "No. Two."

[Chapter 4](http://bets-cyn.livejournal.com/133750.html)


	6. Fic: [NR] Mix of Dark Minors and Sunny Majors (Chapter 6/14)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She'd be willing to bet the Nico of reality was somewhere between her good guy and his evil one but he wasn't ready to see that just yet. "Nico, I work on feelings and intuition. Of course I see the potential. You work in cold facts and realities that aren't pretty so you see the bad. In order for music to be beautiful, there has to be a mix of sunny majors with the dark, harsh minors."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, you can blame or credit, jeer or cheer brokenroots & goodisrelative for this 92-page (20+ chapter) fic. Brokenroots started me thinking about NR fic (go read hers, it's better) and then they both beat me up to get more. Please note, this fic is done. finished. fin. over. ended. ... that doesn't mean there might not be a sequel. at least a "Sunday Supper at Mama C's" [you'll meet Mama C in a much later chapter]

Mix of Dark Minors and Sunny Majors  
 **Word Count:** Chapter 6: 4,063; _[48,282 total]_  
 **Rating:** PG-13  
 **Pairing:** Nico/Dani—Possibly. Eventually?  
 **Spoilers:** References something from 1x07 and 1x11.  
 **Disclaimer:** don't own. Don't profit. Don't … a lot of things  
 **Summary:** She'd be willing to bet the Nico of reality was somewhere between her good guy and his evil one but he wasn't ready to see that just yet. "Nico, I work on feelings and intuition. Of course I see the potential. You work in cold facts and realities that aren't pretty so you see the bad. In order for music to be beautiful, there has to be a mix of sunny majors with the dark, harsh minors."  
 **Author's Note:** So, you can blame or credit, jeer or cheer brokenroots  & goodisrelative for this 92-page (20+ chapter) fic. Brokenroots started me thinking about NR fic (go read hers, it's better) and then they both beat me up to get more. Please note, this fic is done. finished. fin. over. ended. ... that doesn't mean there might not be a sequel. at least a "Sunday Supper at Mama C's" [you'll meet Mama C in a much later chapter]

 

 

-%-

By 1030 AM, Dani knew something serious was going to go wrong and she couldn't contain her nervous energy. She wished Nico was there to bounce ideas off, or really, to just calm her, but he had left at 10 AM for that other situation. Yesterday had been too quiet, like a lull before a storm. There was something they were forgetting. Some _one_ they weren't protecting. Dani could feel it.

She bolted out of her office and ran right into Frank when it hit her fifteen minutes later. "Car now, Frank."

Frank started to shake his head. He had his orders. Doc was not allowed to leave the stadium without the Boss.

Dani's eyes hardened. "Car _now_ , Frank. I will _not_ allow another to suffer. We forgot one woman. We need to get to her right _now_." Then she moved passed him towards the doors.

Frank had seen the fear and helplessness in her eyes and barked orders. He pulled her to a stop just as she reached for the doors to the outside. "No. I go out first. I scout the area then I get you. You get in the SUV directly, do you understand me?"

Dani nodded. And followed his instructions to a 't'. Once she was in the SUV, she called Nico. When he answered, she took a fortifying breath and demanded something that she knew was going to destroy his trust in her. It didn't even give her pause, she couldn't let it. "Nico, the address of Juliette's rehab. Now!"

_"What are you talking about?" Nico growled. "I'm in the middle-."_

Dani closed her eyes and cut him off. "Right now, Nico. Juliette's rehab. We don't have time for this!"

_Nico swore. "What the hell is going on, Doctor Santino? How do you even know about Juliette? Let alone she is in rehab?"_

Frank was the only one who saw the tear escape her closed eyes. "Goddamnit, Nico! Just give me the damned address right frigging _now_! She does _not_ have time for this!" She listened then repeated the address to Frank and disconnected the call. When it rang a second later, she moved to shut it off then thought better of it and just put it on vibrate and tossed it in her purse. "Faster, Frank."

Even as they pulled up to the building, she was giving orders that no one was to get in her way. It took too long for her to get the room number and another moment to get to the room. She reached it first and flung the door open. She didn't even think, didn't call for Frank, didn't even care what happened to her. She grabbed the needle and jabbed it into the leg of the man holding it. Then she fisted her right hand and delivered an upper cut to the man's jaw a heavyweight would have been proud of.

"Frank, get him the hell out of here and then close that door and let _no one_ in. And I mean _absolutely_ no one. Not even the Boss." Dani ordered and turned to Juliette and softened her face and voice. She couldn't let the fury get in the way of helping this young woman.

"Juliette? Are you okay? I am Doctor Dani Santino. I am a friend of Nico's." She started as she knelt beside the young woman on the bed. She debated on using her title but she didn't want it to look like she was hiding it when Juliette found out later on.

She blinked. "Is he gone? Are you sure? I didn't want them. He made me take them. Nico is going to be so pissed I'm using again."

Dani smiled. "Juliette, he's gone. Frank will dispose of him. I know you didn't want to take the drugs. He didn't get them in you. I put the needle in his leg. Nico will be proud of you." She was going to say more but there were angry voices at the door before it was pushed open. Dani was at it even before it was fully open. "I said _no one_ in here, not even you."

"I have-."

Dani's voice softened. "Nico, I can't care about your wants when Juliette needs this right now." She looked up at him, knowing this would hurt him but needing to take care of the scared young woman before she tried to help the scared man. "Please, Nico. I swear she is safe. He didn't get the drugs in her."

Nico stared at her and nodded. "Can I just-."

"I need you to take care of the man, Nico. No permanent disappearance, but he doesn't have to arrive at the police station without damage either." Dani ordered gently. If Juliette had been one of her children, she'd want the man dead but would settle for immense pain. She wouldn't deny Nico the same satisfaction.

Nico nodded. "You are sure?"

"I am going to be okay, Nico." Juliette's voice spoke up and Dani turned to give her a smile before she nodded to Nico and shut the door.

"He could have come in, Doctor." Juliette started. "He's seen me worse."

Dani smiled. "I am sure he has, but he needs to let some of the fear and anger go. He can do that with the man Frank hauled out of here. He cares for you a great deal; he wouldn't have brought you here if he didn't. You wouldn't have hurt him so much if he didn't."

Juliette flinched. "I know I have." She looked over at Dani. "Who exactly are you? How do you know Nico?"

Dani sat beside the young woman. "I am the Hawks therapist. I was brought in to help control TK. When I refused to control him, Nico asked me to try. I still refused but told them I would help TK learn his own control. Now I work with six other players and your father and Nico refer others to me."

Juliette flinched. "I don't want-."

"Juliette, what you want and what you need are different things. You started seriously looking at what you need when you had Nico bring you here. You've been clean for a few weeks. He's proud of you." Dani cut her off and reached out to take the young woman's hand. "I promise it will be okay. I can't promise it will be easy, but I can promise that one day, it will be okay. You'll come through this a stronger woman, but I suspect you already know that." She smiled over at Juliette.

The younger woman looked at her with suspicion. "What do you think happened here?"

"I know that a player I got terminated from the team for terrorizing woman with sexual harassment and sexual assault is attacking me. He threatened others around me. Nico has made sure my children, best friend, mother, and the two other women bringing charges against Rat Bastard-—that is the player's new name—are secure and cannot be touched. Yesterday was too quiet, I realized this morning. I took me a few minutes to put together that you were not secure. I should have thought of you earlier." Dani sighed and looked away. "That man Frank took out of here was sent here to get you high and probably sexually assault you."

Juliette squeezed Dani's right hand. "He was detailing what he would do as you busted in."

Dani nodded, in pain. She must have broken something in her hand when she punched the guy, but there was no way she was asking Juliette to let go or stop talking. "Did he touch you?"

Juliette was quick to shake her head no. "No. He arrived a couple of minutes before you busted the door in. He knocked me to the bed and grabbed my arm and put his knee into my chest to hold me still. I was stunned and just about to call out when you came in." She kept her grip tight on Dani's hand, never hearing the older woman's wince.

Dani reached up to stroke Juliette's hair. "Shush. It will be okay. I promise you you'll come through this." They stayed like that for a while, Juliette leaning into Dani, squeezing her hand, Dani stroking her hair and offering silent support.

Juliette pulled back and but didn't let Dani's hand go. "We should see Nico. He has to be out of his mind right now."

Dani smiled. "I'll get him. You stay here. Frank will allow no one to come in unless you okay it, understand? You have to say 'yes, Frank' or 'no, Frank' so he knows you truly mean it. Understand, Juliette?" She wanted to start giving the younger woman control over the little things and build back up to the big things.

Juliette nodded. "I get it." Reluctantly, she let Dani's hand go.

Dani stepped out of the room, shut the door and spoke softly to Frank who was standing guard, telling him what she had told Juliette about how to allow someone into the room. Then she asked where Nico was.

"Right here." Nico spoke behind her and she wheeled around to face him. For a split second, he saw her sorrow and pain, then her eyes were blank and she was speaking to him.

"Nico, Juliette would like to see you. She's fine. He didn't touch her like that. He hit her and spoke to her, but that is it." Dani stated quickly before she turned to knock on the door.

Nico grabbed her hand and Dani's eyes glazed over and a whimper of pain escaped before she pulled her hand away. He pulled her left hand away from the door before she knocked on it and gently took her right hand in his. He could easily see it was broken. "You-."

"The team doctors can look at it later, we need to deal with Juliette then get her secure." Dani kept her eyes blank as she looked up into his eyes. This wasn't the time or the place to have the painful discussion she knew would come. Then she turned and knocked on the door as she asked Juliette if she and Nico could come in. Dani heard the correct response and opened the door.

Nico stayed back from Juliette but ran his eyes over her, looking for bruises. "Are you all right, Juliette?"

Dani had never heard his voice so soft. It made her betrayal all the worse. She struggled to keep the smile on her face while the two talked softly for a few minutes.

"We need to move-."

"She still needs rehab." Dani cut Nico off. God, she needed this over and to get away from the accusations, guilt, and pain in his eyes. _How had she ever thought his eyes dead?_ "Juliette and I will discuss how to proceed with that later. Right now, she needs stability and security." She closed her eyes. This decision had the potential to destroy her family but she opened her eyes again and looked in Juliette's eyes and knew the decision had already been made. Straightening, she turned to Nico and faced him head on. "Jeanette and the kids and Ma move to Jeanette's beach house and Juliette goes with them. No school for the kids until Rat Bastard is caught. One base for all security. I stay at the team's house."

Juliette started at the other woman staring Nico down, almost daring him to challenge her declaration. "Wait. You want me near your family?" She was the druggie screw up—no one wanted her near their families, not even her own!

Dani softened her gaze as she turned it to Juliette. "I'm not saying my family is normal but it's steady, relatively stable, and completely secure. You want to change, Juliette, so, yes, I want you with my family. I need you safe. My mother and Jeanette will not tolerate your shit; Lindsay will prove _all_ parents destroy their kid's lives; and Ray Jay will be a good laugh for you. But there will be ground rules you will obey."

Nico stared at Dani. She could _not_ be serious about having Juliette with her family. "That's not-."

"It is _necessary_ , Nico." Dani insisted. "It makes it easier on protection details and gives Juliette the stable model she needs right now. We'll get everyone settled then you and I will return to the stadium. I have a few things I need to finish up from earlier."

Nico opened his mouth to argue but looked at Juliette and nodded. He would allow this: Juliette was actually _listening_ to what Dani was saying and considering it. He could see Juliette's shock suppressing her suspicion at Dani's motives and knew the good doctor might actually reach Juliette this time. "Fine." But they were _definitely_ talking later. "You and Juliette pack her stuff while I go sign her out."

Dani stepped in front of him, forcing his eyes on her. "Don't do anything to this place, Nico. Let me take care of this place, please."

Looking from Dani to Nico, Juliette had to wonder how wise the woman was—Nico looked ready to tear her apart. She understood then: that was what Dani was afraid of: not Nico hurting _her_ but Nico losing control with the staff. She reached for his arm. "She's right, Nico. She's a doctor; she should handle this place."

Dani's eyes moved to Juliette and she nodded her thanks.

 

The two women packed fast— Dani had Frank take Juliette to the SUV while she went to collect Nico. Her heels clicked as she made her way to the director's office. She didn't take comfort in that she didn't hear yelling: with Nico, she'd _prefer_ yelling. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw he really was just signing papers.

"I'll just be a minute, Mr. Careles. Miss Pittman is settled in the vehicle with Mr. Frank." Dani dismissed him as she walked into the office.

Nico stared at her. Now she was _dismissing_ him? He blinked when he spotted the coldness in her eyes. This was someone he had never seen before, not even when he tried intimidating her into telling him what TK had discussed in therapy. He'd give her this, though, because he had a feeling even he couldn't put that much fear into the doctor in charge. He moved to stand outside the office.

Dani faced the other doctor and spoke quietly, her voice steel. "I suggest, doctor," she twisted that word, "you do a thorough background investigation into _every_ one of your employees. And you make some serious changes. The State will be here on Monday and they _will_ close you down for any violation they find. Then, I guarantee, you will never get another job anywhere near a rehab center or group home." Dani held his gaze for a moment. She watched him open his mouth as his eyes flashed anger, but the ice he found in her eyes kept him quiet. She nodded to him and turned to head out.

She walked passed Nico, then sighed and let him go ahead of her. She pulled out her phone and put a call into an old college friend when they got outside. She chatted about kids, friends, and jobs for a minute before she got into her favor. "Charlie, I need it done this Monday and I need the hardest bitch or prick you have to do the investigation." He didn't even argue with her about timetables, he just sighed and said fine. "Thank you, Charlie. Give Clarisse my love and hugs to the kids." Then she nodded to Frank and he opened the door for her as Nico got in the front of their SUV. She heard him call someone to make arrangement to pick up his car.

"Doc, Xeno pulled the kids from school and Jeanette and your mother have been notified of the change. They are currently packing." Frank informed her.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Doc?"

Dani reached over with her left hand and patted Juliette's leg. "I am, Juliette, positive this is the best decision for all." She smiled absently as the young woman threaded her fingers through hers. She leaned her head back on the rest and closed her eyes, keeping her broken hand between the door and the seat—if she didn't move it, she could tolerate the pain.

 

 

Two hours of introductions, explanations, and crying later, Dani knew there was nothing more she could do and sent them on their way. When Jeanette and her mother had eyed her hand she just shook her head and whispered, "later."

Dani watched the SUVs leave and blinked back tears. She turned to Nico and Frank to say they should head to the stadium now.

Nico shook his head at her and turned his back on her, and just got in the SUV. He looked over at Frank, "Make sure the house is closed up then head over to the team's house."

Frank's eyes flicked over at Dani before he brought them back to his boss and nodded. "Will do, Boss."

Dani sat in silence, waiting for the blow up. She kept her eyes focused on something just outside her window and waited.

Nico saw her inside the stadium and to her office, then headed to his own. He needed to get some control over his anger or he was going to hurt her.

 

TK came around the corner, looking for Dani, and ran into her, jarring her hand. Dani's eyes rolled back into her head and TK freaked out as he caught her. He settled her in his arms and screamed for Nico.

Nico was set to dismiss the player. He didn't need a TK issue right then, but when the player screamed this time for a doctor, the fear in his voice penetrated Nico's anger and set him in motion to find the player. He stopped short of the sight of TK carrying Dani. He blinked: _how had he forgotten about her broken hand?_ Immediately, his phone was out and he was ordering the team doctor and the surgeon to the team hospital. He let his mind rewind the last few hours and realized she had done a good job of hiding her hand from all of them.

 

"What the hell, Nico? You supposed to protect the good doc! How could you let her get hurt?!" TK accused him. The hospital staff had taken an awake Dani only two minutes ago.

Nico sighed. "I was dealing with Juliette. Not that that is an excuse."

TK started to ask who the hell Juliette was compared to Dani when it hit him: Pittman's daughter. The one no one was supposed to talk with or help anymore. "Is she okay?"

"Doctor Santino saved her." Nico whispered.

"Well, duh, my man. This is Doctor D we's talkin' about. She saves everyone. It's what she does. You fix situations, she saves people from themselves." TK rolled his eyes. For being the all-knowing, scary dude, he was acting wacked out right now.

Nico stared at TK. For once, the player was right. _She saves everyone._ Nico rubbed his face, how could he have forgotten that? _But who had told her he had gotten her in rehab? That he knew where she was when no one else did?_ He needed to know before the Pittmans found out.

 

"I had to go in and do some manipulating of the bones and remove some bone fragments. So many little bones fractured. She'll regain full use with physical therapy later. She said she punched a guy. That break was more pressure related, not hitting, Nico. You need to find out who threatened her." The surgeon told him three hours later.

Nico sighed. "It wasn't intimidation, Doctor. Doctor Santino just put a patient's needs above her own. She knocked out a guy trying to inject a patient with drugs then the patient latched onto her broken hand. The patient was too unstable to pull her hand away."

The surgeon sighed. "All right. She's awake: I only blocked the nerve in her shoulder. Give her an hour here, get her prescriptions filled, and get her home. And, Nico, see that she gets some rest."

Nico nodded and relayed the news to TK who promptly went down to the gift shop to buy the good doctor something outrageous.

 

Dani looked up from the bed to see Nico standing in the doorway. She tilted her head slightly, still only able to really see his silhouette but knowing it was him. "I am sorry, Nico."

Her softly spoke words pulled him out of his thoughts and he moved into the room to stand beside her bed. "Who told you about Juliette, Doctor Santino?"

Dani sighed. "I've always known about Juliette, Nico. How could I work for the Hawks and _not_ know about Mr. Pittman's party daughter?"

Nico's eyes narrowed. She was evading his real question. "That is not what I meant and you know that."

"But it was what you asked, Nico." Dani stated and held his eyes.

"Is this payback? Vague answers for all the ones I give you?" Nico growled.

Dani shook her head. "No." But she couldn't give him the answer he wanted.

 

TK called out as he entered the room. He paused and it hit him that maybe he should have waited, they seemed to be in a pretty serious conversation, but then Dani smiled and he went in anyway. "How's you be, Doctor D? What's this you punched some dude out? Knocked him out cold, I heard."

Dani laughed. "I did. One punch, an upper cut to the jaw even a heavyweight would be proud of."

"Except the heavyweight wouldn't have broken his hand, Doctor D!" TK chuckled. "I's got you some things. Everyone in a hospital needs balloons and teddy bears and flowers." He held up a bear bigger than the one he had gotten Ray Jay after his ACL injury and a fist full of balloons.

Dani eyed him. "So where are my flowers?"

TK smiled. "That's Nico's responsibility. The shop didn't have any, so Nico, my man, you are going to have to stop somewhere and pick up dozens worthy of the good doctor!"

Nico raised a brow. "Why is this duty left to me? You have a vehicle here."

"Yeah, buts you's bringing her home in like thirty, so you get to stop along the way for flowers." TK eyed him. "And I'll know if you don't. I can tweet faster than you can."

Nico's eyes narrowed but he said nothing.

TK shook his head. "For Doctor D, your wrath don't scare me."

Dani blinked and reached out for TK's hand. "I'm fine, Terrence. Really. There were things I needed to deal with before I could get my hand fixed. I was headed to see the doctor at the stadium when you hit the hand and I blacked out."

"Yeah, buts Nico should have taken you right to the hospital when you were done with your stuff." TK stated softly, his eyes accusing Nico before they softened with worry and turned to Dani. "The rat bastard is hurting you too much."

Dani sighed. "Terrence, we knew this would get worse before it got better. I want him focused on me, not hurting others with less protection. Now, don't worry: when my hand is better, I'm making Nico teach me how to throw a punch _without_ breaking my hand." She smiled up at the player and squeezed his hand. "Besides, now the team knows I too can knock them out." She chuckled.

"You could give my man over there a run for his money on scariness, Doctor D! Can I tweet this? Come on! Please?! It'd be fa _tas_ tic!" TK asked, his voice taking on that whiny quality.

Dani rolled her eyes. "I need to tell the kids tomorrow morning, so you wait until tomorrow noon, and I'll allow the tweeting. I won't even pre-approve it." She figured she'd regret that decision but let it go.

TK smiled. "All right, doc orders rest for you, so I'm bouncing. Nico, take care of my doctor and make sure you get dozens of _good_ flowers for her. No cheap carnations or nothing!"

Nico nodded, more just to get the player out and on his way.

[Chapter 5](http://bets-cyn.livejournal.com/133906.html)


	7. Fic: [NR] Mix of Dark Minors and Sunny Majors (Chapter 7/14)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She'd be willing to bet the Nico of reality was somewhere between her good guy and his evil one but he wasn't ready to see that just yet. "Nico, I work on feelings and intuition. Of course I see the potential. You work in cold facts and realities that aren't pretty so you see the bad. In order for music to be beautiful, there has to be a mix of sunny majors with the dark, harsh minors."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, you can blame or credit, jeer or cheer brokenroots & goodisrelative for this 92-page (20+ chapter) fic. Brokenroots started me thinking about NR fic (go read hers, it's better) and then they both beat me up to get more. Please note, this fic is done. finished. fin. over. ended. ... that doesn't mean there might not be a sequel. at least a "Sunday Supper at Mama C's" [you'll meet Mama C in a much later chapter]

Mix of Dark Minors and Sunny Majors  
 **Word Count:** Chapter 7: 3,776; _[48,282 total]_  
 **Rating:** PG-13  
 **Pairing:** Nico/Dani—Possibly. Eventually?  
 **Spoilers:** References something from 1x07 and 1x11.  
 **Disclaimer:** don't own. Don't profit. Don't … a lot of things  
 **Summary:** She'd be willing to bet the Nico of reality was somewhere between her good guy and his evil one but he wasn't ready to see that just yet. "Nico, I work on feelings and intuition. Of course I see the potential. You work in cold facts and realities that aren't pretty so you see the bad. In order for music to be beautiful, there has to be a mix of sunny majors with the dark, harsh minors."  
 **Author's Note:** So, you can blame or credit, jeer or cheer brokenroots  & goodisrelative for this 92-page (20+ chapter) fic. Brokenroots started me thinking about NR fic (go read hers, it's better) and then they both beat me up to get more. Please note, this fic is done. finished. fin. over. ended. ... that doesn't mean there might not be a sequel. at least a "Sunday Supper at Mama C's" [you'll meet Mama C in a much later chapter]

 

 

"We will continue that discussion, Doctor Santino, but at another time. You need to get dressed and discharged then we'll fill your prescriptions and get some food before we head to the house. The doctor prescribed a sedative for tonight. You need the rest and we both know you have not been getting much the last few nights." Nico put himself back in charge.

Dani nodded and looked up at him. "Nico, can we just go home? Send someone else out for the drugs and food? I'm tired."

Nico saw the exhaustion in her eyes and nodded. "Can you get dressed or do you need help?" He could get a nurse but he was still feeling guilty about not remembering her hand and didn't want to let her out of his sight yet.

Dani smiled. "I'm tired but I'm not _that_ tired, Nico. You go get the nurse."

Nico nodded back at her then turned and headed out of the room to find a nurse.

Dani used the alone time to swing her legs off the bed, thankful that nothing was still attached to her. She looked around the room but didn't see her clothes. She sighed and waited for the nurse: no sense pushing herself too much. She lifted her right arm: it felt weird since she could move it but not _feel_ it.

The nurse was quick and they were in the SUV ten minutes later. It only took five minutes for Dani to fall asleep. Nico kept his voice low as he called one of his men to make three stops, detailing what he needed from the three locations, thankful the team had a preferred pharmacy that used e-scripts from the team's doctors.

This time, he didn't debate what he was doing: he eyed the approach as he parked, got out and went around to Dani's side of the vehicle and lifted her out of the SUV. Frank made sure the door was open for him as he carried her into her room and laid her down on the bed. He frowned at the cast and turned from her and the guilt. He should call Juliette, just to check in, maybe even talk with Jeanette to make sure everything was going well there. It wasn't a good idea for Juliette to be with the kids, he of all people knew she could be a worse role model than TK.

"Leave them be, Nico. People think that it's the holding on that makes one strong—sometimes it's letting go." Dani whispered. "Right now, you need to let her go. She knows you are around but right now, more than anything, she needs to learn to catch herself when she falls, allowing her to fix herself because she is strong enough. We'll check in with them in the morning, Nico. The world won't end."

Nico heard her soft words and nodded before he headed out of the room.

Dani sighed and closed her eyes again.

 

He woke her to take the painkiller and sedative when his man got back from the errands, about twenty minutes later. She wanted to protest that she was tired enough to just pass out, but the hardness was back in his eyes and she knew he wasn't about to take no.

 

-%-

Nico sat with his iPad on his lap, not reading the tweets and Facebook statuses. He didn't even read his email. Instead, he ran his mind back over when he had brought Juliette to the rehab place. He hadn't really talked with Doctor Santino that day except to get her advice about enabling and consequences. He knew no one had followed him. His phones weren't monitored. So how had Doctor Santino found out about Juliette and rehab? His men, if they even knew, would never say anything: loyalty worked both ways and he had spent years instilling that in his men.

He stilled when one thought came to him. _Had Juliette called someone?_ But who would she call? Her father had all but washed his hands of her and Gabriella, Gabriella would be too embarrassed to have a child in rehab again. Besides, Gabriella would just laugh at her daughter and ask how much it was costing this time. No, Juliette wouldn't call either of them.

He rubbed his temple in frustration and moved his thoughts onto a different topic, knowing he needed more information to deal with the Doctor Santino-Juliette connection. _How was he going to handle Frank's disobedience? And Doctor Santino's?_ He knew both had reasons, valid ones, ones they were right in following, but there still had to be consequences. He could deal with Frank now and he pushed himself off the couch and headed out the back door.

 

Frank kept his eyes steady on the boss's. He knew this discussion was coming: he had broken the rules and the Doc had gotten hurt because of it. It didn't matter that they had saved a scared young woman; the mission was protecting Doctor Santino and he had failed.

Nico eyed his man. "You know it was wrong."

Frank nodded. "I know, boss, but you didn't see her breaking. I didn't even know it was about Juliette when I broke the rule." Frank shook his head, breaking eye contact with Nico. "I should have been faster. It should have been me knocking that bastard out. I failed, boss."

Nico smiled. She garnered loyalty fast, from the players and now from his men. "You will learn much from Doctor Santino. The first she illustrated today: she can hustle. Ridiculously high heels or not, the woman can move when she wants. The second she illustrated is that _nothing_ gets between her and helping someone. Not even her own safety, Frank. You did not fail _her_. You failed me and my orders but you did not fail her." He put a hand on the man's shoulder as he headed back inside. "But I failed her tonight." He whispered, shaking his head but unable to get the picture of TK carrying Doctor Santino out of his mind. He would remember the fear on the player's face for a long time.

Stopping in the kitchen, Nico looked at the bouquets of flowers his man had picked up: each to his specifications. He moved the two dozen Gerber daisies to the nightstand in her bedroom. The sunflowers, yellow tulips, and white daisy bunches he left in the kitchen because they fit with the sunniness of the room. He picked up the last bouquet, the two dozen red and white tulips, and moved it into the living room on the coffee table.

 

-%-

It was the pain that woke her up. She glanced at the clock and stared at the huge bouquet of Gerber daisies and immediately forgot about the pain radiating through her hand and up her arm. They were absolutely gorgeous! She got up and stuck her face right in them to breathe in their scent. She loved Gerbers because they were so sunny and happy. They brightened any room and she smiled. She grabbed her robe and headed into the kitchen for coffee to see about making breakfast, one-handed, for the men. It was going to be a good day, she just knew it!

She blinked at the huge bouquet of red and white tulips in the living room. She fingered them gently, idling wondering if he knew what meanings these particular tulip colors held. Then she wondered if he was suckering her in before he let the hammer drop: they still hadn't finished the Juliette conversation. Hearing something from the kitchen, she moved to the doorway. The first thing that greeted her was a third huge bouquet; this time it held sunflowers, yellow tulips, and white daisies. Then she giggled—she'd swear later it was from the painkillers—at seeing Nico cooking breakfast.

He turned to glare at her, growling, "You want any, you knock the giggling off."

Dani smiled then blinked at the dishes in the sink. "You cooked for the men?"

"No, Frank had already started when I came in here. What would you like?" Nico was honest.

"Whatever you are having is fine, Nico, as long as you move out of the way of the coffee." Dani smiled as she grabbed a mug. She waited until he turned to deal with the eggs before she put her coffee down and weighed the options. Sure, he was at the _gas_ stove but she was going to bet on his legendary self-control as she moved in.

Nico stiffened when he felt her arms come around him and he heard her whisper, "The flowers, the _dozens_ of flowers, are absolutely gorgeous, Nico. Thank you."

He closed his eyes but then she was letting him go. "You are welcome. Just make sure TK knows. At this point, any tweets from him about me will be held against you."

Dani chuckled. "Duly noted." She picked up her coffee and made her way to the kitchen table. "Since I know you checked in with your men at the beach house, how are all there?"

Nico smiled as he put their breakfast down on the table and brought over the orange juice. "You think you know me, do you, Doctor?"

She squinted when he used her title but let it slide for the moment. At least it wasn't her full name. "Can anyone really know all about you? I know parts. You are worried about her but you are also worried about my kids. I appreciate that. I wish I was there monitoring the situation, but right now that would make things worse." She ate a few bites then put her fork down. She wasn't sure if it was the conversation she knew was coming or the painkillers, but she wasn't that hungry right then. She watched Nico use economical movements to eat. He didn't waste energy with extra movements, the same way he fixed situations and it made her smile. She let her mind move off the man across from her and onto the next steps with Juliette. _The girl really needed a stable, supportive environment. She wanted to change, she had taken that first step, but no one was willing to forget what she had been and what she had done. Not that they should, but if she was going to change, she needed something completely different._ Dani sighed; she'd see how the few days at the beach house go before she considered other steps.

Nico watched her eyes lose focus and he wondered what she was thinking so hard about. _Was she regretting sending Juliette with her kids? As much as he didn't like it, it was a perfect place for Juliette to get on her feet._

Dani shook herself out of her thoughts and decided while Nico did the dishes, it would be a good time for her to take a quick shower. She sighed, not liking that she was going to have to lean on Nico for something else. Best to just get it over with: "Nico, can you put my hair up and bag the cast so I can shower?"

Nico looked up and nodded.

"After that, we need to finish our discussion." Dani stated as she got up to get a garbage bag, medical tape, and a hair scrunchie. "You can just throw it up in a ponytail." She said as she sat back in her seat a moment later.

Nico nodded and got up to stand behind her. "Would not a bun be better to keep your hair out of the way and not get wet?" He frowned. If his men heard the next question he asked, they would demand to know who the imposter is and where the hell the _real_ Nico Careles is. The question would probably make TK catatonic. He shrugged, she just needed a bit of help and there was no one else here to help her. "Would you like me to brush it before I pull it back?"

Dani's eyes widened, not believing he asked that. "I can get-." Dani cut herself off, _Really, what was the big deal? He was offering. It wasn't like this could get more awkward: could it?_ "Sure. Let me get my brush."

 

She had forgotten how hypnotic it was to have someone else brush your hair. Not that Ma had done it very often or Ray had done it at all. Lindsay, when she was younger, had loved to brush her hair. She closed her eyes and sighed.

Nico struggled to remember the last time Juliette had let him brush her hair. She must have been ten or so, declaring she was old enough to do it herself. He smiled at the memory of the curious, independent young girl, before life and bad choices had turned her into something else. She would get some of that independence back working with Doctor Santino. Bringing himself back to the present, he put the brush down and twisted up the bun and secured it with the scrunchie. Then he moved to wrap her cast with the garbage bag and tape.

"Thanks, Nico. I'll be back in twenty minutes."

 

-%-

Nico glanced at the clock again and sighed. It had been almost an hour since Dani had headed for her shower. He was debating on knocking on her door when he heard it open.

Dani growled at the cast. "This is going to be a pain in the ass, Nico. And I am warning you now: my temper is going to be shorter because of it annoying the crap out of me."

Nico nodded. Usually one of her outbursts like that would make him smile, but he had spent the time thinking about how to get the information of who had told her about Juliette out of her. He had plotted options, thought of questions to use, and even thought of intimidation, knowing it wouldn't really work on her.

Dani studied him and knew her reprieve was over. She settled herself on the couch, absently picking at her cast. "Nico, you can ask your questions, try intimidation, go back and forth between nice and scary, but I won't tell you." She looked up at him frowning down at her. "I _can't_ tell you."

He studied her. She was using her patient-therapist protection. That was interesting in itself. "Very well. I will let that go." _For the moment_ was implied in his pause. "But I need to know the Pittmans will not find out. That the one who informed you will not also inform them."

Dani kept her eyes on him, she borrowed his words. "I promise the one who informed me would never inform either Mr. or Mrs. Pittman. You have my word and I will take responsibility for the one who informed me." She needed him settled on this, couldn't have it keep coming back up: her nerves couldn't handle this.

Nico sighed: he'd take her word because he trusted her and he knew she'd protect Juliette. "But let us discuss how you knew Juliette was in danger. Why did you not just call me? Why did you make one of my men break the rules for you?"

Dani blinked and when the implication hit her, she pushed herself off the couch and swore in pain when she used her right hand. "What did you do to Frank?! He only broke the stupid rule because I was freaking out and making my way out of the stadium with or without him."

Another time, he would have found it interesting that she got more upset about the threat to one of his men than the threat to herself. He stepped closer to her. " _Stupid_ rule? Oh, you mean that little rule that _keeps you in a secure area so that I do not lie to your children when I said I would keep you safe?_ The _stupid_ rule that says you do not leave the stadium without me so that Rat Bastard does not attack you like he has your house? Like he has threatened Lindsay? _That_ stupid rule?"

Dani stood on her toes, her finger waving in his face. _Damn I wish I was taller!_ "I wouldn't have had to break the rules if you had been at the stadium. Oh, wait, you had another situation to deal with, an _unrelated_ situation, a super-secret-squirrel situation. One no one else can know about. You talk about what you promised my daughter but what you seem to _forget_ is that _you_ promised it. You promised Lindsay _you_ would take care of her mother. How to you expect to do that on some super-secret mission?" Dani didn't bother keeping voice low.

Nico blew out a breath. "My men knew how to reach me for important things."

It clicked, right then, and Dani's eyes narrowed. "Where exactly where you, Nico?"

Nico knew from her tone she wasn't about to let this one go. "I was handling a situation for the Hawks. You do not get to know everything I handle for the Hawks. Think of it as _my_ client-fixer protections."

"You want to know why I didn't just call you to handle the Juliette situation? You would have seen it as important and had someone watching the place but you would have missed the _urgency_ of the situation. As for how I knew, I don't know. I was anxious and edgy at 1030, like I knew we had forgotten something or someone. I knew we had the two women locked down; my family and Jeanette were safe so it couldn't be anyone of them. Why did Juliette come to me right then? _I don't know._ Her name just popped into my head right then and I suddenly I knew why it felt like the lull before the storm. I crashed into Frank and he saw the fear and panic in my eyes." She moved her eyes back up to Nico's face and whispered, "I should have thought of her days ago. I should have said something to protect her."

Nico blinked at the tears he saw falling on her face. _She felt guilty about not protecting Juliette?!_ He hadn't seen that coming. "Why do you feel guilty? You don't know her, Dani."

Dani took a ragged breath. She knew using her first name was a slip for him, and it told her how confused and on edge he was. "Because she's important to you, Nico. You risked your job, your place with the team, your _life_ to help her when she finally asked. You came to me with a veiled and vague question on how to help her. Because she's collateral damage in her parents' lives. Because she needs help."

Nico closed his eyes and whispered, "Mother Santino."

Dani glared at him but kept the words she wanted to snap at him about that name locked inside. "Yes, part of my wanting to help others comes from being a nurturing mother. That doesn't make my motives suspicious nor does it make me a bad person."

Nico looked down at her. "It makes you, you. It isn't a bad thing, you just have this mama bear dogged protection thing: with your kids, with your clients, and with your friends. Lord knows Juliette needs that protection right now: your unwavering protection. She'll slip up but she won't slide back so far now."

"You know it won't do for everyone to keep reminding her of her failures, right?" Dani asked softly, not sure how the heated argument changed so much. "Yes, she needs to remember them to know how far she's come but you can't waive them in front of her every time something happens. All that will accomplish is sending her back to where she is trying to crawl out of. People keep telling you only bad stuff, you start to believe it and it erodes your confidence and strength. It's hard to get either back." Dani reached out to put her good hand on his arm. "I won't let her fail, Nico. Not this time. I don't know what relationship she and I will have, but I won't let her get lost again."

Nico nodded and lifted his gaze away from hers. He couldn't let her see how much that meant to him, how much her promising to take care of Juliette meant to him. His eyes fell to her phone and the picture text came back to him and he stiffened. "You swear you don't know why you thought of Juliette right then and why it was suddenly so _urgent_ to get to her. Yet you do not mention the picture text."

Dani stepped back at the violence radiating off him again. _How can he change gears so quickly?_ "Picture text? What are you talking about, Nico?"

He grabbed her phone and showed her the damning evidence. "He sent you this!"

Dani focused on the image on her screen. It was a picture of another phone with a text coming in from Juliette that said 9-1-1. Dani blinked. _He thought she was keeping_ this _from him?_ "What was in your coffee this morning? Did you get into my painkillers? Because you had to take something if you think I would not tell you if I had gotten a text like this. You are out of your ever loving mind, Nico!" She took the phone and squinted, then she tapped the picture to make it larger and shook her head. Then she looked at the time stamp and wondered. She looked in her call log and blinked. "Shit." She looked up at Nico. "He sent that exactly one minute after I called you that morning for Juliette's address. _One minute after_ , Nico." She handed him back the phone and winced. She had forgotten to take the painkiller during breakfast. "Nico, it was a faked photo. Look at the lower left corner of the phone in the picture. There's a small chip out of the screen." Then she moved into the kitchen to swallow painkillers. _Had it been last night when she thought it funny that she could move the arm but not_ feel _it?_ She voted to go back to that lack of feeling over the pain radiating through her hand and up her arm almost to her elbow.

Nico stared at the picture again and spotted the imperfection. _How had he missed that? Easy: you were focused on the implication of the message, not the details._ How had he gotten so wrapped up in the people and emotions that he forgot to pay attention to the information? He sighed: _Juliette_.

[Chapter 6](http://bets-cyn.livejournal.com/134224.html)


	8. Fic: [NR] Mix of Dark Minors and Sunny Majors (Chapter 8/14)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She'd be willing to bet the Nico of reality was somewhere between her good guy and his evil one but he wasn't ready to see that just yet. "Nico, I work on feelings and intuition. Of course I see the potential. You work in cold facts and realities that aren't pretty so you see the bad. In order for music to be beautiful, there has to be a mix of sunny majors with the dark, harsh minors."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, you can blame or credit, jeer or cheer brokenroots & goodisrelative for this 92-page (20+ chapter) fic. Brokenroots started me thinking about NR fic (go read hers, it's better) and then they both beat me up to get more. Please note, this fic is done. finished. fin. over. ended. ... that doesn't mean there might not be a sequel. at least a "Sunday Supper at Mama C's" [you'll meet Mama C in a much later chapter]

Mix of Dark Minors and Sunny Majors  
 **Word Count:** Chapter 8: 3,601; _[48,282 total]_  
 **Rating:** PG-13  
 **Pairing:** Nico/Dani—Possibly. Eventually?  
 **Spoilers:** References something from 1x07 and 1x11.  
 **Disclaimer:** don't own. Don't profit. Don't … a lot of things  
 **Summary:** She'd be willing to bet the Nico of reality was somewhere between her good guy and his evil one but he wasn't ready to see that just yet. "Nico, I work on feelings and intuition. Of course I see the potential. You work in cold facts and realities that aren't pretty so you see the bad. In order for music to be beautiful, there has to be a mix of sunny majors with the dark, harsh minors."  
 **Author's Note:** So, you can blame or credit, jeer or cheer brokenroots  & goodisrelative for this 92-page (20+ chapter) fic. Brokenroots started me thinking about NR fic (go read hers, it's better) and then they both beat me up to get more. Please note, this fic is done. finished. fin. over. ended. ... that doesn't mean there might not be a sequel. at least a "Sunday Supper at Mama C's" [you'll meet Mama C in a much later chapter]

 

-%-

Dani growled at the phone. Who knew how difficult it would be to _dial the stupid thing_ with only one hand. She put it on the table and called up Jeanette's number. She made the rounds, assuring the kids that the hand had not been someone trying to hurt her, she had been saving someone. She left out that the one she had been saving was Juliette: the young woman didn't need that right now. She talked to her mother to see how Juliette was doing and then she talked with Jeanette to get her take on Juliette.

_"Hun, you take care of you and that hunk protecting you. Xeno has the security here, and trust me, the man misses nothing. His coffee is excellent too. Your Ma and I can handle Juliette. And the kids."_

Dani rolled her eyes at her best friend. "You know he monitors these calls."

_"Your point, Dani? You going to argue you don't find the man attractive?" Jeanette paused before continuing. "Yeah, I didn't think so. Ain't nothing wrong with that. Wouldn't be the first time a stressful and dangerous situation started a romance."_

"I'm not on the market. I'm not even legally free yet. Besides, Jeanette, we work together. And I thought you were rooting for the other one."

_"The other one was what you needed to get back out in the game. Fun and kinky and laughter. But that isn't staying power. That silent, brooding one has staying power. And he thinks of your kids, makes sure they are safe."_

Dani sighed. She didn't need this right now. And if he was listening in, she was going to _kill_ him—after she died of embarrassment! "I'll talk to you later, Jeanette. Call or talk with Xeno if you need anything." She looked up to see Nico in the doorway. "I suppose you want to head to the stadium now."

Nico read the exhaustion in her eyes and shook his head. "No. Today is a day of rest. You need to not be inundated with player problems and TK's hysterics. You need to just breathe and sleep."

Dani chuckled. "You think you can handle a whole day away or are you going to leave me in the hands of your trusty band of merry men in black?"

"I think we have already established the mistake that was." Nico raised his hand, not really in the mood to battle her again. "Not saying the motives were not right but we have seen the damage that can be done when I am not here. I have my laptop, aircard, iPad, and phone. I am fine here. I have a trusted man at the stadium who can intimidate the players if necessary. You should, though, call TK and give him the heads up."

Dani sighed. "All right, we'll agree to let that go." She looked down at her phone and glared then dialed the number _before_ she picked it up this time. "I'm declaring a sick day, TK, so I expect you to behave, be good for Nico's man, and don't start shit." She chuckled at TK's response. "Seriously, Terrence, I need the day. One quiet day." She smiled. "Thanks, TK. And yes, you can send _one_ tweet about yesterday. Only _one_." She stood up and walked into the living room and smiled at Nico sitting on the couch. "He's going to be sending a tweet, so be ready."

Nico chuckled. "I'll pull up his feed." He watched her pick up her book and settle on the couch with him. "So you like the flowers?"

"Flowers. Oh crap." Dani hit redial on her phone. "He got me fantastic flowers. Dozens! Gerber daisies, sunflowers, tulips and white daisies! Three bouquets with two dozen flowers in each." Dani rushed the words out to TK. He laughed at her, _"Of course, Doctor D! Nico'd never let a woman down."_ Dani frowned at the phone before she put it down.

"What's wrong? What did TK say now?" Nico asked, concerned.

Dani rubbed her brow and shook her head. "Nothing. Just being TK." She leaned against his shoulder to see his iPad screen. "His tweet come through?"

Nico looked down at her head on his shoulder and frowned. He thought they had moved passed this. "Give him a minute or two. He needs to process what he says to get the biggest impact. I'm sure we won't be disappointed."

Dani angled her head up, leaving it on his shoulder. "True. And I won't tell him that you find amusement in some of his stunts. It wouldn't do to have him trying to get you to laugh as you kick his ass." Nico's laugh rumbled through his chest and Dani blinked, realizing how intimate this was but she decided she wasn't moving. She picked up her book and read as they waited.

Nico checked email for a few minutes then checked the Twitter feed. "He tweeted." Nico stated quietly and tilted the screen for her to see.

Dani rolled her eyes as she laughed. "DocD gives N run for $$! Knocks out bad guy with one upper cut. Breaks hand. N presents flowers & instruction on how-not-to break hand." She looked up at Nico. "You are, you know?" At his confused look, she clarified, "When my hand is healed, you are going to teach me how to throw a punch without breaking my hand. I know not to tuck my thumb into my fist."

Nico smiled. "You went for his jaw. You came up into it from below. It's a hard bone that way so it can break something in your hand easier. The location of where you hit a person has as much to do with it as how you hold your fist, Dani."

Dani nodded. "That makes sense." She nodded then stared off.

Nico poked her shoulder, he figured since she was still resting on his, he could bother her. "Where did you go just now?"

Dani sighed and shifted her head to look at his face. "I was almost too late, Nico."

Nico shifted and grabbed her upper arms. "Hey, none of that. You got there, Dani. You protected her and you saved her. She isn't coming down right now because you got there in time."

Dani's smile faltered but she blinked back the tears and nodded. "Do you mind if I stay here with you? I don't want to be alone right now."

Nico smiled. "You just want my shoulder. Just breathe, Dani."

 

 

He couldn't pinpoint when she slid down to rest her head on his thigh. One minute she had been resting against his shoulder, the next she was sleeping with his thigh as her pillow. This was dangerous. _She_ was dangerous. But he let her stay and turned his phone on vibrate.

 

 

It was over an hour later, Dani was still sleeping, and he was wondering if he could shift out from under her when his phone went off. He stared at the number. He frowned and let it go to voicemail, wondering why the hell she was calling him.

Dani felt him tense and raised her head. "Nico, if you need to fix something, it's okay."

Nico sighed, sorry she had woken up. "Nope. Delegation is an art and I can still do it. I do need to get up, though, my leg is asleep."

Dani giggled and raised her head enough for him to get up. She slid down a bit on the couch to give him space on the couch and closed her eyes again.

 

_"Nico love, where are you? I stopped by the Stadium but they said you were out of the office all day today. I need to see you, it's urgent. Juliette checked out of rehab again, not surprising. At least she lasted two weeks this time. Love, can you see if you can locate her? Thanks. Call me, Nico love. You know the number."_

He listened to the voicemail and resisted the urge to punch a fist through the wall. Why did it seem she always came into his life when he was done with her and in the middle of something so much more important than her?

 

-%-

Dani got up at noon and decided she wanted to make sauce. She went to find Nico in the little den in the back working at the desk. "Nico?"

He growled at her then sighed. "Sorry, dealing with a situation. What do you need?"

"Can I have one of the men go to the store? I know they aren't errand boys but shopping one-handed will suck and I would like to make sauce." Dani asked.

Nico looked at his watch. "Just open the back door and ask for Frank, he's on for a bit longer."

"Thanks, Nico." She studied him a moment before she leaned against the doorjamb. "You can talk it out, Nico. I won't go running to Twitter to tweet anything."

She got what she wanted: a smile out of Nico. "Go have one of the men get your ingredients and make your sauce." He shook his head and waved her away.

 

 

-%-

The men ate in shifts six hours later. She was sitting and chatting with the last group when Nico walked through the living room. He stopped before the doorway and just listened to his men and Dani. He didn't analyze his annoyance with his men taking up Dani's time, he just ignored it and smiled at Dani's laugh. Feeling like a sneak, he moved into the kitchen. "How come I wasn't called for dinner?"

Dani looked up and laughed. "Because it isn't time for your and my dinner. I was just keeping the men company while they ate in shifts. I was going to call you in about 15 minutes."

Nico nodded. "All is quiet at the beach house."

Dani raised a brow. "I doubt that is the actual case but it is nice to know there hasn't been any security issues."

Nico chuckled. "True."

 

 

"This was nice, Dani. Thanks. The sauce was excellent. Reminds me of my grandparents'. They used to make sauce every Sunday and we were required to be there for Sunday supper." Nico complimented her.

Dani beamed. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. Not my best but not my worst effort by far. Frank, once he was off duty, helped with the de-seeding. I had forgotten how much a pain in the ass that step is without the food mill. When using a wire strainer and whisk, it sucks. And is impossible with only one hand. Frank heard me swear and came in."

Nico laughed. "And you got stories from him."

Dani stuck her tongue out at him. "You have the dishes. And he only told me stories he wanted to; there were no prompts from me. No matter how much I really wanted to!"

They talked with easy banter while he did the dishes. It was new for them, no ending in argument or wanting to throw something at the other. When he was done, they moved back into the living room and Nico flipped on the news before he sat down on the couch to skim Twitter feeds and Facebook statuses.

Dani settled back in on his thigh without asking. She smiled up at him before she focused on her book. She tried to read it, but just couldn't get into it at the moment. It was dark and she was _living_ through a dark time. Putting her book down, she looked up at him before she asked, "What had you so frustrated and angry earlier? Was it the phone call you ignored before you got up?"

Nico tensed. He was not going to talk with her about Gabriella Pittman. He went with honesty to a point. "Yes, it was the voicemail from that ignored call that angered me. The caller has impeccable timing to derail projects when she wants something. Too easily, others around her get wrapped up in her drama and forget about the important things they are supposed to be working on."

Dani nodded and reached over to thread her fingers with his. "Knowing is half the battle."

Nico's tension evaporated as he laughed at her GIJoe reference. "You like that saying."

"Not as much as I love _Spaceballs_ . Ooo, and _The Princess Bride_!" Dani laughed with him.

They talked of bad 80s 'B' movies which lead to 80s tv shows and more smiles and laughter than Dani had seen from Nico—ever.

 

 

-%-

They were back at the stadium the next day, Saturday. The team had a home game this Sunday so it was all hands on deck to get ready for it. Dani talked with her usual cast of players and checked in with Nico throughout the day. She frowned as she realized he was getting angrier as the day progressed. She knew it had to do with the ignored phone call the day before.

Nico had brought her food for lunch but they had ended up arguing so he had stalked away and she hadn't seen him in a few hours. There were rumblings with the players about a VIP guest who was around—one not well-liked.

Dani sighed. She had a meeting with Coach Parnell at 2 PM so she gave up looking for Nico and headed to the coach's office. _Maybe he'd be at the meeting._ Dani could only hope. They had talked about heading out to the beach house to have dinner with the kids.

 

-%-

_Where the hell was Nico?!_ She needed out of this place or she was going to scream. He had said they would leave at 400 PM so they could have dinner with Jeanette, Ma, the kids, and Juliette tonight. It was now almost 530 PM! This wasn't like him—and if Rat Bastard had done anything new and he was keeping it from her, she would _kill_ him.

 

"Doctor Santino, I think he was talking over by the Coach's office." Someone on Matt's staff told her.

Dani sighed, waved her thanks, and headed back in that direction only to see two figures—one in black—head toward the doors. She quickened her pace to try and catch them before they got outside—but didn't. She took a moment to think about going through the doors. Outside was not in the team's secure areas. She wasn't _with_ Nico—and she had promised him. _But damnit!_ He was out there!

Her decision made, she marched through the doors. It took a moment to spot the figures as her eyes adjusted to the brightness. What she saw stopped her cold. "Oh, Nico," she whispered. He was standing too close to the other woman, his hand on her arm. When the woman stepped closer to Nico, he didn't step back. Dani watched him grab both her arms to keep her where she was: no closer but he didn't push her back either. It was like watching a train wreck: you just had to keep watching. He must have gotten a call but the other woman covered his phone with her hand.

The moment Dani's own phone rang was the instant she placed the other woman—Mrs. Gabriella Pittman. She turned from the couple and looked down at the caller ID on her phone and swore—Xeno.

"Xeno! What's-." The man on the phone cut her off.

_"We're fine. We thought you would be here by now. The kids are concerned."_

Dani sighed and looked across the parking lot. "Nico had a situation arise. He's handling her as we speak. Go ahead and eat without us."

_Xeno swore. "There's only one_ her _who would prevent him from answering, Doc. You_ need _to get him away from her._ Now. _Call him; he'll answer you."_

Dani stiffened suddenly. "I don't think I can do that right now. Tell him I'm sorry I broke my word again."

"Hang up the phone, Doc." The breath was hot on her neck but it still made her shiver.

She made the motion but kept the phone connected: her only thought was that he had _cloned_ the phone. He'd see it was Xeno and be concerned. She kept her eyes off Nico. He had taught her things. She closed her eyes but all she could think of at the moment was that she had broken promises to him _again_. She was outside without him. _Wait. What had he told Lins that first night? Be smart. Think._

So Dani _thought_. She had wedge heeled boots on today and she could see Rat Bastard's sneakers as he pulled her farther from Nico. Farther from Nico was _bad_ —she had to stop that. Nico _would_ come for her, so she froze and pulled them to a standstill. She didn't even think as she brought her knee up and slammed her heel down as hard as she could. Vengeance had her twisting her heel as she continued the pressure down.

Nails dug into her arms, he swore in pain—but Dani just brought her other foot up then down on his. This one wasn't as direct of a hit but she was pulling out of his grasp—wrenching her shoulder—until she got free and used her purse to hit him in the face.

Someone pushed her farther away and she saw a flury of black take swings.

 

"Nico! What the hell are you doing to one of our _star_ players?!" someone shrieked.

Dani blinked and faced the woman as sirens were heard and security poured out of the stadium—along with players and staff. "His contract was terminated over a week ago. He will now be arrested for assault and battery and attempted kidnapping on top of all the sexual assault and harassment charges he is out on bail for."

"Nico! Why the hell are you not handling this? You are supposed to be fixing these situations for me! His termination fee is outrageous! I want-." Gabriella was screeching.

Dani looked over at Nico, her apology in her eyes that this was happening in front of so many. Then she cut into the other woman's tirade. "Nico _is_ handling the situation. He is fixing the situation for the _women_ this rat bastard hurt. You don't get to want anything in this situation and Nico isn't yours to do your bidding." Dani's eyes narrowed as the woman finally focused on her. "Nico is a part of this team and he is one of mine and that gives him the mama bear protection being one of mine affords." Dani's eyes flicked up to his and caught a flash of smile before she refocused on the woman in front of her. The hand came out of nowhere but was stopped inches from her face. Dani didn't even flinch. She trusted Nico to be there.

"We paid the bastard's termination fee last week." Nico turned to one of his men, "Please see Mrs. Pittman home, Charlie."

"Who the hell do you think you are, Doctor Santino?" Gabriella spat. "You're nothing more than a two-bit shrink who can't keep a husband satisfied so you have to whore around the team for money and action."

Everyone stilled at that comment. Nico stared at the woman he had known for far too long wondering how he had never seen through her act before.

Dani blinked then smiled slowly. She held up a hand to quiet the sudden murmurs and to let Nico know she had this one. "And you are just a scared over-the-hill woman who let life pass her by to follow a dollar. Now you become the super bitch because you no longer can tolerate the life you knocked others to get. You're trembling, _Mrs._ Pittman, because you are realizing just what your recent actions have cost you. A price you weren't willing to pay but have no choice now, and that scares you. You're floundering, _Mrs._ Pittman, and just using words to lash out. But as I have told someone recently," her eyes raised up to Nico's for a moment before settling back on the woman in front of her, "I battle words every day."

Gabriella glared, spitting, "You have _no_ idea what I am capable of! I'll see you get your due!"

Dani took two steps over to her, getting deep into the other woman's personal space, and stared her down. "I know _exactly_ who and what you are, _Mrs._ Pittman, and I protect my own. You want to talk of what you are capable of? Let's leave Nico out of this and talk of your daughter." She felt the other woman flinch. "You don't even know where she is. I'll tell you because you are her mother: she is safe. But I won't tell you where. And you won't be able to get it out of Nico because in a few days even he won't know where she is. She will make it through this and be stronger. She'll be a better person than you _ever_ showed her to be. _I'll_ make sure she doesn't lose her way again." Dani's voice was steel and her words had been carefully calculated to inflict hurt, but then she stepped back and softened her next words. "You'll hit that wall, Gabriella, we all do one day or another. When you need to talk, you know how to contact me." Then she cradled her broken hand and turned away from the other woman.

Everyone—cops, security, staff, the players, TK, Coach, Matt, even Nico—stared at her in stunned silence. They weren't sure what startled them all more: Dani's ability to be cold and calculating or her sudden turn around to soft.

 

[Chapter 7](http://bets-cyn.livejournal.com/134480.html)


	9. Fic: [NR] Mix of Dark Minors and Sunny Majors (Chapter 9/14)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She'd be willing to bet the Nico of reality was somewhere between her good guy and his evil one but he wasn't ready to see that just yet. "Nico, I work on feelings and intuition. Of course I see the potential. You work in cold facts and realities that aren't pretty so you see the bad. In order for music to be beautiful, there has to be a mix of sunny majors with the dark, harsh minors."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, you can blame or credit, jeer or cheer brokenroots & goodisrelative for this 92-page (20+ chapter) fic. Brokenroots started me thinking about NR fic (go read hers, it's better) and then they both beat me up to get more. Please note, this fic is done. finished. fin. over. ended. ... that doesn't mean there might not be a sequel. at least a "Sunday Supper at Mama C's" [you'll meet Mama C in a much later chapter]

Mix of Dark Minors and Sunny Majors  
 **Word Count:** Chapter 9: 3,664; _[48,282 total]_  
 **Rating:** PG-13  
 **Pairing:** Nico/Dani—Possibly. Eventually?  
 **Spoilers:** References something from 1x07 and 1x11.  
 **Disclaimer:** don't own. Don't profit. Don't … a lot of things  
 **Summary:** She'd be willing to bet the Nico of reality was somewhere between her good guy and his evil one but he wasn't ready to see that just yet. "Nico, I work on feelings and intuition. Of course I see the potential. You work in cold facts and realities that aren't pretty so you see the bad. In order for music to be beautiful, there has to be a mix of sunny majors with the dark, harsh minors."  
 **Author's Note:** So, you can blame or credit, jeer or cheer brokenroots  & goodisrelative for this 92-page (20+ chapter) fic. Brokenroots started me thinking about NR fic (go read hers, it's better) and then they both beat me up to get more. Please note, this fic is done. finished. fin. over. ended. ... that doesn't mean there might not be a sequel. at least a "Sunday Supper at Mama C's" [you'll meet Mama C in a much later chapter]

-%-

"Yo, Matt, did Doctor D just take Mrs. Pittman down?" TK whispered loudly.

"Yup." Matt was still in shock.

"And then said she'd help the bitch?" TK asked.

"Yup."

TK threw up his hands. "I do _not_ get chicks! Why ain't they slappin' each other and pullin' hair? The bitch called Doctor D a whore!" He shook his head.

 

-%-

"Charlie, see Mrs. Pittman home, _now_." There was no room for argument in Nico's voice.

"Nico-." But whatever she saw in his glare stopped her for a second, even had her stepping back from him. "I have my car, I'll see _myself_ home." Gabriella huffed then tossed her hair and stalked away from everyone.

That had everyone erupting into action. Security passed the rat bastard over to the police. The police started demanding statements. The coach was yelling at the staff and players to get back inside, demanding Matt see that it happened. Charlie ran to keep up with the woman and make sure she got in her car. Nico stepped up to Dani's side and looked down at her.

"I'm sor-." "I shou-." They both started talking at once.

Dani reached up with her left hand and covered Nico's lips with her fingers. "Let me, please, Nico." She moved to cradle her broken hand—thankfully also the same shoulder she had wrenched getting away from rat bastard—and took a deep breath. There was so much she needed to tell him, to apologize for. First things first: broken rules. "I am so sorry I broke my promises to you, Nico." When he would have broken in, she shook her head. "Please just let me get through this, Nico." She waited for him to nod before she went on. "He got to me because I went back on my words to you. I promised you I wouldn't go outside the team's secure areas. I told you I wouldn't be far from you. I promised I wouldn't go outside the stadium without you. I didn't listen to you and he nearly succeeded in taking me—of hurting me. I am so sorry I hurt you, Nico." Her eyes filled with tears as she moved on to the next topic: dealing with Gabriella with an audience. "I'm sorry we had to do this with Gabriella with such a large audience. That isn't your style but I couldn't let it go. She has hurt too many for too long."

Nico rely wanted to yell and scream at her—shake her or strangle but her words _floored_ him. _He_ had failed her. _He_ had left her alone. _He_ had allowed a stupid situation take precedence above her life-threatening one. And if he hadn't seen before how toxic Gabriella was to him, and _every_ thing she touched, this woman's words and tears would have.

Dani used Nico's condemning silence to turn away.

Dani's moment unfroze Nico. He grabbed her shoulder only to swear at her hiss of pain. He moved to stand in front of her. "No. Now it's _my_ turn. I failed you this time, Dani. I should-."

But the police broke in then. "Excuse me, but we need to get Doctor Santino checked out and then we need her statement."

Dani offered a quick smile to Nico. "We'll discuss this later, when we have time and more comfortable surroundings." She turned to the officer and asked, "Officer, can I have the team's doctor check out my shoulder here? You can take my statement while it is getting done. Mr. Careles has some calls to make about these new developments and he can have security get you a copy of the security tape."

"I am not leaving your side, Doctor Santino." Nico stated coldly. She was already getting rid of him? What happened to talking later? He wondered how much of the scene outside she had seen with Gab— _Mrs. Pittman_. Too much, he decided, since she was an intelligent woman who read people for a living.

Dani blinked and looked over at Nico. "Who said you were? He's not in jail yet." She froze. "He's under guard right? He won't get out tonight? Will he? Nico-." It was the fear talking but she suddenly couldn't control it.

He put a hand on her good shoulder and squeezed gently to reassure her. "Everyone is staying where they are until the trial is over and the verdict read." He felt her sag in relief. "Come on, let's get that shoulder looked at."

 

-%-

They were still in this office at the stadium five hours later but they were finally alone.

Nico looked over at her exhausted form and his eyes softened—until his eyes fell on her sling. He sighed: they needed out of here. They had talked to doctors, spent hours with the police even changing her clothes and giving up her shoes as evidence, gotten Xrays, talked to the team and staff, checked in with the original two women, and then spent time on the phone with Jeannette, the kids, her mother, Juliette, and Xeno. But he still hadn't _his_ say.

Standing up, he spoke quietly. "Come on, let's get you home. Your home is secure and set to rights."

Dani looked up and shook her head slowly. "I don't want to go to my home, Nico. Not tonight. I know you worked miracles and the new security system is in place and it's totally cleaned up and even the damn landscaping is perfect, but I can't go back there tonight. Just not tonight."

Nico nodded, understanding. "All right. Where do you want to go? The beach house or the team's house?"

Dani shook her head no. "Not tonight. I just need a safe place far from all this. Some place that he hasn't tainted somehow. Some place quiet."

Nico sighed. "Very well." He offered her a hand up off his couch, his mind scrolling through a list of places and weighing if he should just use the team's house they've been staying at.

Dani took his offered hand and smiled, recognizing his planning face as he scrolled through options. She tangled her fingers with his and held on. "It has to be comfortable, Nico. You still get to have your say."

Nico blinked and looked down at her. "It'll wait. You're exhausted and I need to make sure he's processed."

Dani chuckled softly. She had to let go of his hand but she reached up to cup his cheek. "That will keep 'til morning, Nico. You'll be notified if something happens."

His eyes darkened. "I'm not allowing another screw up, Doctor Santino. Your sling illustrations the last one clear enough."

Dani took a deep breath as she took a step back from him and tensed. This was going all wrong but she couldn't seem to stop it. "I already took responsibility for that, Careles. What else do you want? My apology written in _blood_?"

Nico stared at her. "What the hell are you talking about? You were hurt because I put a vindictive, cold woman above your situation. I _knew_ her situation was not important and I let her drag me into it with no thought to the consequences to what could happen to _you_!" He dragged a hand through his hair and turned from her. "It's always like that with her. I get sucked in and nothing penetrates." He admitted quietly. "Xeno called me and I ignored it. If it had been about-."

Dani stepped over to him and put a hand on his arm. He jerked at her touch but she kept it there. "She covered your phone. I saw that, Nico. You took it out, Nico. He called me." She smiled at him. "Xeno really doesn't like her."

Nico snorted. "Never has. Should have told me something right there." He shook his head. "Doesn't matter. I still left you alone."

"In a secure area with at least one scary dude shadowing me." Dani qualified.

He scowled. "See how much good _that_ did! I should-."

"You fire or demote him and I'll—I'll—well, I don't know _what_ I'll do, but I'll enlist Xeno and Frank to help me!" Dani cut him off. "I hauled ass after you. You know how I can get."

Nico smiled and nodded. "True." He sighed. "We both need rest. Come on." He slipped his coat over her shoulders and didn't even realize he'd taken her good arm until she rested her head on his arm.

 

-%-

He held open the door to a small house on a dead end street. Dani looked around and stopped short in the entranceway. She'd expected another team holding or even a Pittman Group holding. This was neither.

She blinked and shook her head. "No, Nico. This—you—No."

"You said comfortable and quiet. And I need it to be safe." Nico shrugged. "The men will grab our stuff from the team's holding and be here soon."

Dani stared at him. "But this is your _home_ , Nico." She sighed, she recognized his stubborn blank face and just gave in. "Can we check in with Xeno one more time? I know you'd know if he was loose but-."

Nico smiled softly down at her. "But you are in Mother Santino mode and need reassurance all the charges are okay."

Dani eyed him at the name but there was no heat in it so she just shrugged. "I'll call TK later, too." With all that had gone on in the last week—god! Had it really only been a week since he had first been arrested?—she had finally given up on normal boundaries with TK. Not to mention admitting she was fond of him and wanted him to grow and succeed, just like one of her kids. God. She was _doomed_.

Nico chuckled, bringing Dani out of her thoughts. "I would expect nothing less than you checking in with _all_ of your charges, Doctor."

She made a face at him before she began to prowl the house while he called Xeno. She stopped in the kitchen and smiled. She grabbed a bottle of red wine—yum malbec!—pulled open the drawer in front of the wine rack and chuckled as she picked up the opener she _knew_ would be there. Control, order, organization, and efficiency: typical Nico. She knew now to throw in loyalty, black, and caring to round him out. She shook herself out of her psychoanalysis—she needed to stop doing that. He was a man and a friend, _not_ a patient or a puzzle.

"Don't you dare sneak in and scare the crap out of me, Nico!" She scolded as she turned around. The wine bottle slipped out of her hand and shattered on the floor as she whispered, "No! No!" Instead of cowering, though, she grabbed another bottle and went after the man in Nico's kitchen.

"Dani! He's one of mine." Nico's voice halted her left-handed swing.

Dani looked over at Nico and started to crumple. Nico caught her and his man caught the wine bottle. "I'm sorry. So sorry, Nico and Nico's dude. So sorry. He startled me." She shook her head and looked up into Nico's eyes. "Should have known it wasn't you—you can sneak up on me. I knew the dude was there." Then she just crashed, her body finally giving into the stress and exhaustion.

Nico sighed in relief. "It's about time, Dani." He whispered then hauled her up in his arms. Looking over at his man, his face blanked. "Set up standard watch and security patrols. Only alert me if he gets away or free or it's an emergency or some-."

"Boss, get the good doctor lady to bed, sack out yourself, and we'll alert you if needed. You need the night too, boss." Nico's dude cut in. "I'll get the broken bottle cleaned up. Bring her pants, socks, and sneakers out and I'll toss them in the wash."

Nico sighed, the man was right. "Stay alert. Stay safe."

"Nico's Dude" smiled as he swept up the broken glass, soaked up the spilt wine, and even washed the floor. It was good to see the boss care about more than just the players—and focused on a woman worthy of him, one who wasn't just out to hurt someone or calculating her next move to maximize pain or gain.

 

 

Nico laid Dani on the spare bed then pulled off her wine-soaked sneakers and socks. He groaned and just gave in and grabbed the legs of the yoga pants she had changed into at the stadium and pulled them off too. He tossed a blanket over her and _hurried_ out of the room.

 

-%-

Dani stretched then froze. This wasn't her room. Nor was it Jeanette's or the team's house they had been staying in. _Where was she?_ Last night came back in a blinding rush and she groaned. She pulled the blanket over her head in embarrassment. She'd never be able to face Nico now. Sighing, she threw off the blanket and swung her legs off the bed.

And when she thought the morning couldn't get worse, she realized her pants were missing. She glanced around the room and noticed the robe on the chair. Then she saw her bag from the team's house and the gerber daisies on the dresser. She smiled at the flowers and pulled out a pair of pants then pulled the robe around her. She headed to the kitchen for coffee. As she moved through the house, she glanced at her watch and sighed: it was only just after 4 AM.

"Nico's Dude. Morning. Sorry about last night." Dani stated as she moved into the kitchen. "How many are on guard? Same as from the team's house? I'll fix breakfast sandwiches."

He shook his head. "Morning, Doctor Santino. Don't worry about breakfast; it's still a bit early for that and I can't imagine it would be easy with the cast and sling."

Dani smiled. "Your name? Am I cleared to know it since I almost took your head off with a wine bottle and you cleaned up the mess from the first one I dropped?" She opened a cabinet, impressed she found the mugs on the first guess.

The man chuckled. "You live up to your rep, Doc. I'm Tony DelFuco. And, yes, it's the same team as the team's house. Frank will be on this afternoon. The boss got to bed a couple hours ago so he'll probably be up in an hour or so. Probably set an alarm for 530 or 6 AM."

Dani nodded, sipping her coffee. "Thanks for the information, Tony."

"Oh, and Doc, your pants, socks, and sneakers are in the dryer." Then Tony was out the door.

Dani moved to find the dryer and brought the stuff to her room then hunted for Nico's room. While she had said she wouldn't change his alarm again, she didn't plan on changing the alarm. She paused at his door—would she just wake him up if she entered? She shrugged. She pulled the plug on the alarm clock then stole his phone and ran out of the room. Once she made it safely to the kitchen, she cracked up.

She debated on making food for herself then decided it was too early. She made fresh coffee for the men and had poured a second cup for herself.

Tony materialized as she was leaning against the counter halfway through the second cup. He noticed Nico's phone on the counter and raised an eyebrow. "Balls, Doc, you got 'em. I'll make sure I am _far_ from here when the Boss wakes up."

Dani chuckled. "Thanks, Tony, and noted." Once he was gone, she took the rest of her second cup of coffee and Nico's phone into the living room and sank into his sofa and pulled her knees up to her chin and just breathed. It was the first time she felt she could relax in too long.

 

-%-

Nico found his phone next to her sleeping form on the couch just after 7 AM. He shook his head at her audacity.

"She was worried about you, Boss." Tony stated quietly from the door. "She was up about 4 AM. Had some coffee, stole your phone, then just relaxed." He added as the two men headed into the kitchen.

Nico nodded. "Usually she just changes the alarm from AM to PM but she had said she wouldn't do that again."

Tony just smiled and it was about time the Boss found someone who would take care of him for a change.

"I thought you said you were going to be as far from here as possible when Mr. Careles woke up and found his phone gone, Mr. DelFuco." Dani stated, leaning on the kitchen's doorjamb.

Tony shrugged as he turned to face her. "You mellowed him."

Dani laughed as Nico scowled. "You'd better do your report and head out before he loses his mellowness." She moved over to Nico with a scrunchie and plastic bag. "I'm going to shower."

Nico stepped behind her and pulled her hair back into a bun then taped the plastic around her cast.

Tony watched the scene but kept his smile to himself. He didn't have a death wish and he wasn't one to intrude.

 

-%-

She found him scanning emails on his iPad in the living room forty minutes later. She folded herself onto the sofa after deciding against another cup of coffee. "Anything vital I need to know? When do we need to head to the stadium for the game?" She was thankful it was a late game today.

"Rat bastard was processed. His attorney is pushing for bail. The DA is laughing since he attacked you on film. Your mother is concerned but knows you are in capable hands. Jeanette is taking the kids out somewhere. Your mother and Juliette are staying at the beach house." Nico stated as he continued to scroll through his email. "Since it's a late game, I should be there at 11 AM."

Dani sighed. "I won't apologize for stealing your phone, Nico. We both know you could have stopped me."

Nico's head jerked up to look at her. "Maybe I was avoiding another argument."

Dani shrugged. "No matter: you _allowed_ it. Don't think I don't realize that, Nico."

Nico sighed. "So we are going to have an argument anyway."

She opened her mouth then thought better of saying anything. She got off the couch and walked to stand in front of him. She needed to see his eyes. "No, Nico, no argument. I just wish you would trust _my_ judgment sometimes. I knew how tired you were. I knew you were up long after I collapsed. Why is it wrong when I do something to care for you, yet I have to be grateful when you do it for me?"

Nico held her eyes. "Did I say anything this morning about you allowing me to sleep longer this morning? Or _how_ you went about getting that done?"

Dani sighed and just shook her head. She really didn't want to argue. "Did you eat?"

Nico gave her a half smile. "You cooking one-handed for me?"

Dani chuckled. "No, besides, I only asked if you ate, never said anything about me making anything."

He rolled his eyes—he had walked right into that one. "What would you like?"

Dani's eyes blanked. "I'd like for this nightmare to be over. I'd like for this evil to never have touched my family." She smiled at him. "As for food, whatever you are making is fine with me."

"You are getting entirely too many this morning, Doctor Santino." Nico shook his head as he stood up.

"Not getting anything you haven't offered, Nico." Dani chuckled and make her way to the kitchen. "How about an omelet: three eggs, peppers, mushrooms, bacon, and cheddar?

Nico squinted. "I thought whatever I was making was fine?"

Dani shrugged. "I'm a woman: I changed my mind." She moved around the kitchen with ease to help him.

He frowned at how comfortable she was in his kitchen.

"Just because I'm comfortable in your kitchen doesn't mean anything, Nico. Remember, you brought me here." Dani whispered as she handed him the eggs.

Nico sighed. "True enough, I did bring you here but you've been battering to be let in since you started." He flipped the omelet.

Dani smiled over at him as she sat at the peninsula. "Actually, _you_ entered my life and wouldn't leave. After we eat, you'll get your say, Nico, don't think I've forgotten."

Nico nodded. "Never even crossed my mind."

"Nico, thank you for taking care of me last night when I collapsed. I hadn't realized how exhausted and stressed I was." Dani stated softly as she finished her omelet.

He nodded. "You are welcome."

Dani moved to finger the sunflowers. She leaned in to smell them and smiled. "You really did pick awesome flowers, Nico." She looked at him over the flowers. "It was late, how was there a place open with this much stock?"

Nico just held her smile. "I went with sunny flowers, ones that bring smiles and happiness because life has been too dark lately. Sunflowers, daisies, and gerbers are the best for that."

Dani nodded. "I love gerbers, specifically when they are like the bouquet you put in my room: with all the colors like a rainbow, but especially the orange ones." She studied him a moment before she asked, "And the tulips? Why the red and white ones?" She wondered if he would answer.

Nico held her gaze. "White are for forgiveness. I still feel guilty about you getting hurt." He shrugged and turned to wash the dishes in the sink. "The red were a good mix to go with the white."

Dani found it interesting that he didn't hold her gaze with that last sentence but she let it go, choosing to think on it. "I'm going to put in a call to the kids and Juliette while you do the dishes."

 

 

[Chapter 8](http://bets-cyn.livejournal.com/134757.html)


	10. Fic: [NR] Mix of Dark Minors and Sunny Majors (Chapter 10/14)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She'd be willing to bet the Nico of reality was somewhere between her good guy and his evil one but he wasn't ready to see that just yet. "Nico, I work on feelings and intuition. Of course I see the potential. You work in cold facts and realities that aren't pretty so you see the bad. In order for music to be beautiful, there has to be a mix of sunny majors with the dark, harsh minors."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, you can blame or credit, jeer or cheer brokenroots & goodisrelative for this 92-page (20+ chapter) fic. Brokenroots started me thinking about NR fic (go read hers, it's better) and then they both beat me up to get more. Please note, this fic is done. finished. fin. over. ended. ... that doesn't mean there might not be a sequel. at least a "Sunday Supper at Mama C's"

Mix of Dark Minors and Sunny Majors  
 **Word Count:** Chapter 10: 3,203; _[48,282 total]_  
 **Rating:** PG-13  
 **Pairing:** Nico/Dani—Possibly. Eventually?  
 **Spoilers:** References something from 1x07 and 1x11.  
 **Disclaimer:** don't own. Don't profit. Don't … a lot of things  
 **Summary:** She'd be willing to bet the Nico of reality was somewhere between her good guy and his evil one but he wasn't ready to see that just yet. "Nico, I work on feelings and intuition. Of course I see the potential. You work in cold facts and realities that aren't pretty so you see the bad. In order for music to be beautiful, there has to be a mix of sunny majors with the dark, harsh minors."  
 **Author's Note:** So, you can blame or credit, jeer or cheer brokenroots  & goodisrelative for this 92-page (20+ chapter) fic. Brokenroots started me thinking about NR fic (go read hers, it's better) and then they both beat me up to get more. Please note, this fic is done. finished. fin. over. ended. ... that doesn't mean there might not be a sequel. at least a "Sunday Supper at Mama C's"

one chapter tonight because tennisnike asked.... and I'm too tired to post more tonight. Don't worry, I'll post a couple tomorrow AM.

And now ya meet MAMA COLUNI!!

Nico leaned on the doorjamb and just watched her talk and walk. She was talking to Lindsay about helping Juliette and he could read her surprise that she wasn't getting resistance from Lindsay on this.

Dani froze when she looked up and found him staring intently at her. There was his usual intensity, but there was something else in his gaze that she couldn't quite put her finger on. She forced a smile and wrapped up the conversation; standing her ground in the middle of his living room with the tulips he had bought her right next to her.

"You shouldn't have had to run after me." Nico started quietly. He pushed himself off the doorjamb and walked into the room to stand in front of her. She deserved this face-to-face with him looking in her eyes so she could see the truth there.

"She's toxic, Nico. It's her charm that she sucks you in so that you can't see anything else but her and her issues. You aren't alone, Nico. I've seen many with pasts like her. But you see that now." Dani smiled. "Hell, you used your eyes to make her take a step away from you. She had no idea what to do with that. She'll lash out again, try to reassert herself in your life, but you've seen her for what she really is and she won't have as strong a hold on you. And the next time, she may not have any hold on you."

Nico nodded. "It still doesn't absolve me of leaving you alone so that you followed me outside because I was over an hour late getting you. You weren't far from me, Dani, but I didn't even know you were there and look what happened." He reached out and gently slid his hand down her bad shoulder. "You got hurt again when I should never have allowed it to happen. How do I look Lindsay in the eyes again? I broke my promise to her _twice_."

Dani slid her good arm around his waist and hugged him awkwardly since her broken hand was between them. "All you promised her, Nico, was to take care of me. You never promised you would make sure I was never hurt. You can't promise that, and even as a teen, she knows that. You look her in the eyes and tell her you caught her mother when she was so exhausted and scared and stressed she just crumbled to the floor. You tell her that you were there to stop a slap to her mother's face by a vindictive, toxic woman. And you tell her that you bought her mother the most gorgeous bouquets of flowers just to make her mother smile again when the stress was taking its toll on her. It's all about being there when it counts, Nico, and you have gone above and beyond on that." She pulled back and looked up at him, letting him see the tears in her eyes. "Nico, you protected my kids and my ma and my best friend. No questions, you just made it happen. If that wasn't taking care of me, nothing is."

Nico nodded at her and pulled her back to his chest and held her. He rested his chin on the top of her head. "Why do you only see the good I do and not the bad? I'm not the good guy, Dani. I can't be."

Dani smiled at that. She had her own theories about that between his protesting too much, his willingness to blur lines for a better cause, and his threats. She'd be willing to bet the Nico of reality was somewhere between her good guy and his evil one but he wasn't ready to see that just yet. "Nico, I work on feelings and intuition. Of course I see the potential. You work in cold facts and realities that aren't pretty so you see the bad. In order for music to be beautiful, there has to be a mix of sunny majors with the dark, harsh minors."

Nico smiled at the reference to the quote he had used Tuesday. "Glad this was my say." Nico whispered and felt Dani laugh. He pulled back but didn't let her go completely yet. He was going to tell her something when his phone rang. He frowned and stepped away from Dani, letting her go. "You cannot be serious. You did not allow that to sway-." He nodded as he listened. "Good. Thank you." He sighed and looked over at Dani. "Gabriella was trying to pressure the DA to release Rat Bastard." He saw the horror enter Dani's eyes and reached out to grab her hand. "The DA laughed in her face. There is too much evidence proving his guilt and his character if he was out of jail. I found the section of video of her attack and gave it to the police, Dani."

Dani smiled. "I figured you might do something like that." She studied him a moment before she asked her question. "How do you know the DA?"

Nico shook his head. "I don't. I know her husband. He's a good cop, a good guy." He pulled out his phone again, deciding he needed to make a call.

Dani debated telling him he should call her. "Nico, you should call her and tell her you know what she tried to do. I'm not saying you have to do it face-to-face, but it would be a blow to her ego if you called her right now and told her you know what she tried to do."

Nico laughed and tilted the screen on the phone to show Dani who he had dialed. He kept Dani where she was by not letting go of her hand. She smiled at him and stayed quiet.

" _Mrs._ Pittman, did you think it would not get back to me that you tried to work against the Hawks? The man will remain in jail, your political clout has no bearing on a DA who was elected for her honesty and ethics. You need to do your research before you try to make strategic plays." He looked into Dani's eyes as she yelled. "No, _Mrs._ Pittman, you forget your prenuptial agreement specifically states that regardless of reasons for a divorce, you gave up all rights to anything Marshall Pittman held prior to your marriage. The Hawks were purchased 16 days before your marriage and therefore you have no rights to them. Enjoy tonight's game, _Mrs._ Pittman." And Nico ended the call.

Dani smiled and stretched up on her toes to kiss his cheek. "Well played, Mr. Careles, very well played." She pulled away from him. "I really need to wash my hair but with this shoulder and cast, it is impossible. And you cannot wait in the hairstylist's shop I usually go to get mine cut at. The ladies would eat you alive and you'd run screaming and never be seen again."

Nico smiled down at her. "I think I can solve that issue. Why don't you get dressed for the game, I'll make a call, and then we'll head out."

Dani eyed him. "Can I ask you something?" She waited until he nodded. "Is there anyone you _don't_ know? I mean profession, not literally every person in the world.

Nico scrolled mentally through his phone books. "Shrimper and lobsterman. Oh, and environmental educator. No, wait, I have contacts for that in the City."

Dani smiled at his humor, pushed him as she walked by, and muttered something about wise ass answers, men in black, and disappearing.

 

-%-

Dani glanced at Nico out of the corner of her eye. They were in Brooklyn, an area she had never been in before, but the brownstones were beautiful. Of course, since he was Nico, he found parking only a house away from his destination.

He led her up the front stairs of one of the brownstones and rang the bell. He smiled at the yelling that it was open and to come on in.

Dani blinked. _Someone still did that?!_ She followed him in and he led her back through the hallway to the kitchen.

"Mama Coluni, I see you are still doing well." Nico smiled and bent to kiss the ancient Italian woman.

"Aye, of course I am. What else would I be doing?" She patted his cheek then turned to look at Dani. "You and your injured birds." She whispered as she shook her head.

Dani saw the love in the older woman's eyes and wondered who she was and how she had come to know Nico. "I'm Danielle Santino." And she leaned in to kiss the older woman's cheek as well.

"Come, sit, Danielle, talk to me on how you know Nico. He goes out back now to work on the gate. I am Mama Coluni." And Mama Coluni set the chair near the kitchen sink. Once Dani sat, the older woman put a towel around her neck and had her lean her head back into the sink.

The two women talked of Nico, the gate Nico always worked on when he stopped in, and the neighborhood. Dani found out that Nico had helped Mama Coluni years back when some thugs were bothering her and other older people on the block. And that Mama Coluni had been the hairdresser to all the mob dolls for the Gotti family back in the 50s.

"You should go out and look at the gate, dear." Mama Coluni pushed the younger woman toward the back door. "Bring your Nico a glass of iced tea." And she handed Dani a glass of iced tea.

Dani smiled and kissed the older woman's cheek again. "Thank you, Mama Coluni, for fixing my hair and for telling me about Nico."

Mama Coluni smiled. "He is a quiet one. Dark and brooding, but caring and strong. You'll do good for him, remind him of the sun and make him smile more."

Dani stepped out onto the back porch and did a quick scan for Nico. He was sanding something in the shade of a large London plane tree. She made her way down to his side and gasped when she saw the detail work on the gate. "It's beautiful, Nico." Absently, she handed him the iced tea then traced the scroll and flower work.

Nico smiled. "It is, isn't it? Mama Coluni's mother brought it over from Italy when she came over here. It used to be the gate to the garden but time rusted out the hinges. I told her I would fix it." He shrugged. "I don't get here often but when I do, I put some work in on it." He looked over at her. "You look happier."

Dani smiled. "It's amazing how much better clean hair can make you feel! Thanks for bringing me. She's a sweet lady."

Nico turned back to look at the house and wave to the sweet lady in question. "She can be but she also worked for the Mob."

"As a hairdresser for the dolls, yes, she told me." Dani nodded.

Nico laughed. "That was her first job with Gotti family. She worked her way up to enforcer in the 70s. Then she married one of the other enforcers."

Dani flinched before she smiled. "Sunny majors and dark minors, Nico. Remember that."

 

-%-

Dani made her way around the stadium at noon. She checked in with Matt and the Coach, even with TK who was thankfully reserved, well, for TK that is. She ran into Frank and had to explain the sling but she told him about stealing Nico's phone this morning and they both laughed.

Nico was pulled into a variety of security-related issues with the tailgating in the parking lot, so Dani didn't see him until almost game time. She was about to go into the locker room to check on Booz.

"Did you grab anything to eat yet?" Nico asked her just before she went to see Booz. He caught the shake of her head and put in a call to have something sent to his office for them both. He texted her to meet him at his office after she was done with the team: they'd eat then go watch the game.

 

Dani beat Nico back to his office so she opened the door and pushed the cart in next to his desk and sank into his couch. She tried rubbing her neck but her shoulder was still sore and she was just too tired. She reached in her purse for another dose of painkillers as she heard someone at the door.

"Nico?"

Dani groaned. _Mrs Pittman, really?_ She didn't have the energy to deal with this. She debated on whether or not she should open the door. Did she want to handle this or should she let Nico deal with it?

"What the hell are you doing here?" Nico's voice startled Dani and she heard Gabriella jump.

"Nico, honey, I wanted to apologize-." Gabriella started.

"Stop right there, Mrs. Pittman. We both know you are not sorry but what you do not realize is that I no longer care." Nico shrugged. "There's nothing left for you here. I have moved on, you no longer have any hold on me."

Dani chose that moment to open the door. "There you are, Nico. I was wondering what situation had arisen this time. Dinner's all set up." And she reached for his hand to pull him into the office. "Hello, Mrs. Pittman. Did you need Nico for something? We really do need to discuss TK's latest tweet."

Nico smiled down at Dani as he stepped up to her side, keeping a hold of her hand. He was wondering what she was up to but went along for the ride this time.

Gabriella looked from Nico to Dani to their joined hands and glared before she spun around and walked away.

Dani couldn't stop the laughter that escaped—and echoed down the hallway before Nico closed the door.

 

-%-

The Hawks used the frustration and rage at their former teammate and the bad media he was generating to crush their opponents. The end score was New York 96 and Dallas 6.

Dani smiled at the team as they started partying. She pushed her way over to Booz and gave him a hug then she made her way to TK, gritting her teeth each time one of the players unintentionally bumped her bad shoulder and cast. "TK, dinner at the beach house, tomorrow night, 5 PM, bring Vivica. I'll text the address tomorrow. Congratulations."

Nico materialized next to her and lead her out of the crazy of the locker room, protecting her injured side so no one could bump into it. He led her right out to the car and helped her into it.

Dani saw her stuff in the back seat and smiled. "I could get used to this, Nico. Thanks for the escort out of the locker room, too."

"I can't believe you even went in there. It's like pinball." Nico shook his head.

Dani nodded. "True, it is. I had to tell TK he and Vivica are expected at the beach house tomorrow at 5 PM for dinner."

Nico nodded. "I figured we'd be spending most of the next few days out there visiting the kids and beginning to make plans with Juliette now that rat bastard is in jail."

Dani nodded. "What are we doing with the army of security details? How are we cutting them back? Oh, I put in calls to the two ladies. They are ecstatic over these latest details. I think, though, we should keep your small teams on them for another week, just in case he hires anyone."

Nico's eyes darkened. "That won't be an issue soon. I'll have Xeno pay him a visit while we are staying at the beach house." Nico held a hand up. "Not to hurt him. Just work his mind a bit."

Dani chuckled. "I don't know what Jeanette is going to do once Xeno isn't there to start coffee in the mornings." She reached over for his hand and laced her fingers in his and leaned back in her seat. "It was a good day today, Nico."

Nico smiled and just agreed. "It was. Tomorrow will be even better."

 

-%-

First thing Dani did was hug everyone. She talked with Lindsay and Ray Jay until she annoyed them and Nico had to rescue them, then she talked a bit with her mom. She smiled at Jeanette and they headed down to the beach to sit in the chairs set up down there.

"How has Juliette been really?" Dani asked.

Jeanette sighed. "She's troubled, Dani. A lot of issues. Some of the same ones I had while growing up; before you came. She needs stability. Her and Lindsay mix with the right tension and Ray Jay is in awe but also pokes at her. The three of them play well off each other. There's still some darkness she needs to deal with but she's trying, more each day."

Dani nodded and took a deep breath. "I'm not going to be her therapist. That relationship would just never work and I don't want to make it work like I do with TK. But I'm not letting her go either." She looked over at Jeanette and finally gave voice to the plan that had been slowly forming in her mind. "I want her to come live with me and the kids. I'll be around for her to lean on and to talk to, to make sure she attends therapy, to be her strength when she slips. I want you to stay around her too. She needs friends and you more than most can understand where she was when she was small."

Jeanette reached out and grabbed her best friend's good hand. "It's perfect, honey. But what is Hunky Man in Black going to say?"

Dani sighed and looked out over the water. "I don't know. I need to talk with Juliette first, see if she will agree to the ground rules first. But I won't let him sway me, Jeanette, this is too important."

Jeanette smiled. "Good. Now how are things with you and hunk?"

Dani laughed at the lighter topic until she just sighed. "Just let it be, Jeanette. It's too new and fragile. I don't even know what is there." She smiled thinking about Mama Coluni. "Oh, Jeanette, he took me to this sweet, little old Italian lady in Brooklyn to get my hair washed. She's known Nico for years." And she told her best friend all about the visit.

Jeanette couldn't stop laughing. "You got your hair done by a Mob hairdresser turned enforcer? I _love_ it!"

Dani looked over at her friend. "And what about you and your new morning coffee maker?"

Jeanette blinked then shrugged. "He's fun but serious. Dangerous. And nothing can happen because he's on the job."

"Well, that will be over tomorrow, so make your move, dear." Dani smiled. "Now, go send Juliette down here so I can talk with her. And tell Nico to stick to the house."

 

 

 

[Chapter 9](http://bets-cyn.livejournal.com/135022.html)


	11. Fic: [NR] Mix of Dark Minors and Sunny Majors (Chapter 11/14)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She'd be willing to bet the Nico of reality was somewhere between her good guy and his evil one but he wasn't ready to see that just yet. "Nico, I work on feelings and intuition. Of course I see the potential. You work in cold facts and realities that aren't pretty so you see the bad. In order for music to be beautiful, there has to be a mix of sunny majors with the dark, harsh minors."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, you can blame or credit, jeer or cheer brokenroots & goodisrelative for this 92-page (20+ chapter) fic. Brokenroots started me thinking about NR fic (go read hers, it's better) and then they both beat me up to get more. Please note, this fic is done. finished. fin. over. ended. ... that doesn't mean there is not be a sequel. at least a "Sunday Supper at Mama Coluni's"

Mix of Dark Minors and Sunny Majors  
 **Word Count:** Chapter 11: 3,133; _[48,282 total]_  
 **Rating:** PG-13  
 **Pairing:** Nico/Dani—Possibly. Eventually?  
 **Spoilers:** References something from 1x07 and 1x11.  
 **Disclaimer:** don't own. Don't profit. Don't … a lot of things  
 **Summary:** She'd be willing to bet the Nico of reality was somewhere between her good guy and his evil one but he wasn't ready to see that just yet. "Nico, I work on feelings and intuition. Of course I see the potential. You work in cold facts and realities that aren't pretty so you see the bad. In order for music to be beautiful, there has to be a mix of sunny majors with the dark, harsh minors."  
 **Author's Note:** So, you can blame or credit, jeer or cheer brokenroots  & goodisrelative for this 92-page (20+ chapter) fic. Brokenroots started me thinking about NR fic (go read hers, it's better) and then they both beat me up to get more. Please note, this fic is done. finished. fin. over. ended. ... that doesn't mean there is not be a sequel. at least a "Sunday Supper at Mama Coluni's"

"Dani?"

"Juliette, have a seat." Dani smiled. "How have you been?"

The young woman sighed. "Good mostly. Your family is great. Ray Jay would make me laugh when I started to get too intense. Lindsay's been making me do stuff, reconnecting to what it's like to be young. Jeanette and your mom have yelled and hugged in pretty equal measure." She looked over at Dani. "The structure has been really good. Not claustrophobic but rigid enough that there were consequences that people followed through on. I've wanted to run, to leave, but Jeanette would see something in my eyes and just get me outside and tell me to breathe and watch the waves."

Dani nodded. "I can't be your therapist, Juliette. The relationship would just not work. I have three I would like you to meet and we'll pick one of them to be your therapist."

"You don't want me?" Juliette stood up quickly.

Dani reached and grabbed the girl's hand. "I did not say that. Please sit, Juliette. Remember _you_ called me for help: you need to trust me now." She sighed and waited for the younger woman to sit back down but kept her hand tight on the hand she was holding. "I want you to come live with me and the kids. We'll work out structure for you: therapy, time with the kids and with me and Jeanette. We'll schedule visits for you and Nico. Eventually, if you like, we can work with your parents. Maybe even enroll you in a class at the community college. You need to remember what your youth is."

Juliette stared at Dani. "Wait. What? You want me to live with you? What about your kids? I'm not a good role model. I mean TK is probably better than me."

Dani smiled at the young woman's fear. "There will be rules and consequences when they are broken: for all involved, including Nico and my kids."

Juliette shook her head. She could not take this in. "You want me to live with you." She whispered softly.

"Yes, Juliette, I want you to live with my family and I. You need to understand, though, this isn't just a temporary thing. I'm not giving up on you. Nico says I have a mama bear protectiveness that doesn't let go. Well, you're in it now, so get used to it. It's going to chafe. It's going to be restrictive. It's going to support you. It's going to guide you when you feel lost." Dani sighed: now for the hard part. "Juliette, one of the rules is that Nico is not to know for the first few weeks. He needs to know that you are secure but that he cannot come and help fix you. You are strong enough to start that on your own this time. I'll schedule visits during those weeks but he cannot know where you are staying."

Juliette would have laughed but the good doctor lady was so serious. "You think you can keep this from Nico?"

Dani chuckled and released the young woman's hand to wave for Nico to come down. "I will, Juliette, for a few weeks. The question is: can you?"

 

"Working out therapy schedules already?" Nico asked as he stopped between the two women.

Juliette blinked then looked up at him with a huge grin on her face.

Dani just sighed and stated, "I am not going to be Juliette's therapist, Nico. She and I will meet with three I know and she'll pick the one she would like to try. Our relationship is so far from therapist-patient that it can never get back there." She saw Nico tense. "That is not to say that I will not see her every day for long periods of time. I'm not cutting her lose, Nico. Both she and you are stuck with me. You are the one who called it my mama bear protectiveness. It's just that I can't be professional with her and I do not want that to hurt her, Nico."

He nodded. He could understand that but he didn't have to like it. Something came to him then. "When you were telling Mrs. Pittman off on Saturday you said in a few days even I wouldn't know where Juliette would be."

Juliette looked from one adult to the other as Dani stood up. The girl wasn't stupid: she made her escape back up to the house.

"Remember how I had Frank control the door when we found her?" She waited for his nod. "It's like that. For the first few weeks, she needs to get settled where she is staying and she cannot have interruptions. She needs to learn routines and normalcy; immerse herself in it. And she needs to use her own strength to start this time." Dani watched the waves crashing for a moment before she continued, "Nico, if you know where she is, she'll use that as a crutch. You can come get her. If you don't know where she is, she has to make a conscious choice to tell you, that will make her stop a moment and think about what she is doing. She's gotten used to running then using you to help her. That needs to stop."

Nico studied her carefully.

It hit Dani then what he might be thinking. She reached for his hand and laced her fingers in his. "I'm not doing this to hurt you. Neither is Juliette. And if this is going to work, I need you to trust me, trust what I am doing."

Nico blinked. "Of course you wouldn't do this to hurt me. And I do trust you, more than I have anyone else in a very long time." He sighed and looked out over the water. "Would it be good to take some time, a few days or a week when I can know where she is?"

Dani beamed up at him. "Taking two to three days would be perfect, Nico! I'll give you dates tonight. But you cannot try to find her or have others, including Xeno, try and find her. And no asking anyone questions except me."

Nico laughed. "You think you know me so well, don't you?"

Dani nodded. "At least better than you think I know you. I've been studying you. And Mama Coluni likes to tell stories."

Nico groaned. "You would listen to her."

Dani leaned into him and pulled his arm over her shoulders. "Hard not to. She asked me to come back next week."

"Guess this means I'm going to need to stop by there more often." Nico chuckled.

 

-%-

"Yo! Yo! Yo! V and TK in the house! Let the party begin! But not before the sunglasses go on!" TK yelled as he entered the beach house at 515 PM. And he started handing out Rayban sunglesses to each person. "I's selected thems myself for each one of ya, my peeps, my family." He smiled and hugged Lindsay and gave Ray Jay a high five. Making his way around he even pulled out a pair for Xeno. "Thanks for taking care of the Chicklets, man." Then he handed over a pair to Nico: the exact pair he always wore. "Figured ya could always use a spare, especially around my situations."

There was craziness and talking all at once and Dani just took a few steps back and watched the show with a soft smile on her lips and a tear in her eye.

"Hey, there, this isn't a sad scene, Dani." Nico materialized next to her, putting his arm over her shoulders.

Dani smiled up at him. "Yes it is. I've realized I missed the crazy."

 

-%-

Two mornings later Jeanette scowled as she tossed off the covers. It was suddenly too quiet in her home. She missed the kids and the chaos. And she missed coffee already made in the morning. And the man who made it. Sighing, she grabbed her robe and headed downstairs to make coffee. It didn't hit her until she hit the last step: she could _smell_ the coffee. She frowned and moved quicker to the kitchen. No one was there but the coffee was done brewing and there was a note.

_You can set it up at night, Jeannie. It'll turn on in the morning if ya set it up and hit the button before you go to bed. Enjoy these cups. –X_

"That was never the point, silly man!" Jeanette whispered and sighed.

"Then what was?"

Jeanette jumped, spilling her nice, hot coffee. Then she swore at him. Finally, she just softly told him, "The point was the _thought_."

Xeno smiled and stalked silently up to her.

 

-%-

She survived the first week because she didn't see much of him. With the playoffs win, TK winding down with Vivica, settling Juliette in, and talking with the six new women Nico's army of informants found, Dani didn't have time to herself, let alone worry if Nico was trying to find out where Juliette was staying. She had supervised two visits between the two but had taken a page from Nico's book and shadowed them and let them build their own trust back up.

She should have known it wouldn't last. Instead of getting up to let him in the back door he knocked on, she just sighed and said, "It's open, Nico."

"You couldn't know for sure it was me. What the hell were thinking?" Nico fumed. "Your kids are upstairs. What if-." But he stopped his tirade when the fear entered her eyes. Swearing he moved to grab her left hand. "No, he's not out. He's not getting out."

Dani nodded and smiled over at him. "I haven't had a late night visit all week, I figured I was due one." She got up, poured him a cup of black coffee. "Let's sit on the back porch." And she made her way out there. She looked at the swing then at the stairs and settled on the stairs. She waited until he settled on the step next to her. "So what brings you here tonight?"

"Things are heating up between the Pittman's."

"Don't ask it again, Nico." Dani stopped him. Her eyes flashed anger but her voice was low. "We've been down this road a time or two and it isn't going to change because you ask again."

"I need her safe." Nico whispered.

Dani put her coffee mug down and reached for his arm. "She is. Neither one of them knows where she is. How can they if even you don't?"

Nico glared. "That is why I need-."

Dani shook her head. "I can't do this, Nico. Either you trust me with her or you don't. That's your choice. You have my rules; you know there will be consequences." She picked up her mug and stood up. "Just leave the mug on the table out here; I'll get it in the morning."

 

He had the door picked and was standing in her kitchen before she was done washing her mug.

Dani stared at him in disbelief. Then her eyes flashed something he had never seen on her before: fury. She got in his face and while she wanted to scream, she kept her voice low but hard. "Don't you _ever_ do that again. This is my _home_ , not some drughouse. Nor am I one of the players. My _children_ live here and I will _not_ have you breaking in when you can't have your way." She poked him in the chest now and again to emphasize points, making him back up and out of the door. God she wanted to slam it in his face! _The nerve of him!_

Nico heard the click of the lock. Why did the action he would normally take suddenly make him feel ashamed, like he _owed_ her an apology or even more?

Dani slumped against the door, shaking with fury and disappointment. She had known he could be a bastard. She had even wanted him to be one at times, had _asked_ him to be one to the man who had hurt Juliette, but she had _never_ thought he would try it with her. She had thought he trusted her. Obviously, she was wrong and he had lied to her. "Damn you, Nico. You said you didn't lie," She whispered as the tears started falling.

 

-%-

Juliette found her on the couch in the morning and knew something was wrong. "Dani, what is it? What happened?"

"He lied to me," Dani couldn't stop the whispered words before she blinked and clamped her feelings back down. "It will be okay, Juliette."

Juliette studied her before she sat down Indian-style on the couch next to her. "Nico stopped by last night. What did he say?"

Dani shook her head. "No, Juliette. What goes on between Nico and I is not your business."

Juliette smiled. "Taking a page from Nico's book, Dani?" She sobered and stated, "He hurt you, Dani, and I have a feeling I'm at the heart of this argument."

Dani reached over and caressed her cheek. "I don't want to hurt him, Juliette, but sometimes it just doesn't matter what we want. I'll be fine. So, you are spending time with Jeanette today, correct? What are your plans?"

Juliette nodded. "I think we are hitting a gallery or two in the City."

Dani smiled. "She mentioned something about the Jim Henson exhibit at Museum of the Moving Image, if I recall."

Juliette blinked. "The Muppet dude? Really? That's cool! The Hecklers are my favorite."

Dani cracked up. "They are mine too. You might as well use this early morning to beat Lins in the bathroom, dear. Pancakes good for breakfast?"

"Thanks, Dani."

Since they were both standing, Dani hugged her. "Never a problem, Jules."

Juliette stilled. She tilted her head to study Dani at the nickname. "No one's ever given me a nickname. They've called me names all the time, but never have I had a nickname."

Dani nodded. "Do you mind? Take your time and think it over."

Juliette shrugged. "I will."

 

Dani saw Juliette off with Jeanette then the kids went over to Ray's and Dani was left with a quiet house that she just couldn't bear to stay in. Since it was Friday, she put in a call to the Coach to tell him she could be reached on her mobile, then she talked with TK and told him she needed a mental health day. He had her smiling by the time she got off the phone, which she was thankful for.

Looking at her phone, she smiled and called Mama Coluni.

 

-%-

"He _what_?" Mama Coluni blinked.

Dani nodded. "He didn't like what I said so he broke into my home."

"Girl, I hope you tore into him good!" Mama Coluni shook her head in disbelief. "Hell, Danielle, when I see him, I'll slap him for you!"

Dani chuckled. "This is why I needed to come, Mama Coluni." She reached over and took the older woman's hand. "I'm hurting him, Mama Coluni. I don't want to but he isn't giving me a choice. He says he trusts me with something but every time that trust is tested, he takes the something back. And I can't allow that anymore. The something was broken and it's mending now. I know he's protecting it but he doesn't see how much he is also cracking it apart."

Mama Coluni sighed. "He's helping Juliette again. I told him that girl needed to stand on her own. It isn't right that she uses him to escape whatever mess she creates. He cleans them up and she has no consequences. How's the girl supposed to grow? Everyone's born into problems that aren't their own but he keeps taking hers away and she's left with learning that she can do anything and none of it will touch her. Not saying she didn't get the raw deal with her parents, but others have had worse."

Dani blinked. "Mama Coluni, what I say here doesn't go to him. It can't."

"I ain't ever been, nor will I ever be, a rat."

Dani smiled and nodded. "Sorry, Mama Coluni, I didn't mean that." She looked out over the backyard and her eyes fell to the gate sitting up on workhorses under the London plane tree. She blinked back her tears again and turned back to the older woman. "I'm helping Juliette. She wants help. She wants to stop using Nico. She's seeing he's just another addiction she has, using him to clean herself up."

"And he doesn't like that you are doing this?" Mama Coluni asked softly.

"No, actually he wants me to help her."

Mama Coluni nodded in understanding. "He doesn't trust that you will do it. He questions your methods, questions your ability because he is not involved with the decisions."

Dani nodded. "Exactly."

"And because he doesn't trust you, he's destroyed a part of you." Mama Coluni patted the younger woman's hand. "There are two ways you can go, Danielle. I can teach you how to slip a blade between a man's ribs without him suspecting a thing. It won't kill him but it will teach him you are just as dangerous as he. He'll never forget learning that lesson."

Dani sighed. "And the other?" She wasn't sure she could physically hurt Nico, she didn't have that in her. When she thought of the man attacking Juliette, she sighed: _I guess I do have that in me._

Mama Coluni chuckled, knowing exactly what the young woman was thinking. "Dear, I never thought of becoming an enforcer, it just happened. One day a man pushed further than I wanted to go. Actions were taken on my part that put me in a position there was no turning back from. I moved with it. The rest, well, it lead me to a man I love to this day. Bad can lead to good. Just as much as good can lead to bad. It's how we play our hand that counts."

Dani nodded. "What is the other way I can go with this?"

Mama Coluni chuckled. "You take the beatings and you keep showing up. For you, you hold the line where _you_ need to hold it and as much as he hurts from it, as much as he hurts you for it, you hold the line because you know you are doing the right thing for the one he desperately needs to protect. And then you make sure you look damn fine every time he sees you just to rub it in that he may try to take you down, you ain't going down."

"I miss him, Mama Coluni." Dani whispered.

Mama Coluni patted her hand. "I know, dear, I know."

 

 

 

[Chapter 10](http://bets-cyn.livejournal.com/135522.html)


	12. Fic: [NR] Mix of Dark Minors and Sunny Majors (Chapter 12/14)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She'd be willing to bet the Nico of reality was somewhere between her good guy and his evil one but he wasn't ready to see that just yet. "Nico, I work on feelings and intuition. Of course I see the potential. You work in cold facts and realities that aren't pretty so you see the bad. In order for music to be beautiful, there has to be a mix of sunny majors with the dark, harsh minors."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, you can blame or credit, jeer or cheer brokenroots & goodisrelative for this 92-page (20+ chapter) fic. Brokenroots started me thinking about NR fic (go read hers, it's better) and then they both beat me up to get more. Please note, this fic is done. finished. fin. over. ended. ... that doesn't mean there is not a sequel. at least a "Sunday Supper at Mama Coluni's"

Mix of Dark Minors and Sunny Majors  
 **Word Count:** Chapter 12: 3,284; _[48,282 total]_  
 **Rating:** PG-13  
 **Pairing:** Nico/Dani—Possibly. Eventually?  
 **Spoilers:** References something from 1x07 and 1x11.  
 **Disclaimer:** don't own. Don't profit. Don't … a lot of things  
 **Summary:** She'd be willing to bet the Nico of reality was somewhere between her good guy and his evil one but he wasn't ready to see that just yet. "Nico, I work on feelings and intuition. Of course I see the potential. You work in cold facts and realities that aren't pretty so you see the bad. In order for music to be beautiful, there has to be a mix of sunny majors with the dark, harsh minors."  
 **Author's Note:** So, you can blame or credit, jeer or cheer brokenroots  & goodisrelative for this 92-page (20+ chapter) fic. Brokenroots started me thinking about NR fic (go read hers, it's better) and then they both beat me up to get more. Please note, this fic is done. finished. fin. over. ended. ... that doesn't mean there is not a sequel. at least a "Sunday Supper at Mama Coluni's"

Oh, and the destruction that started last chapter ... continues.

 

-%-

"She's at Mama Coluni's, Nico." Xeno spoke into his phone. He was following Jeanette and Juliette as they toured the Jim Henson exhibit in Queens. He had to admit the exhibit was great.

"How do you know?"

"Because she called in sick to the stadium twenty minutes after the kids headed to Ray's." Xeno stated and rolled his eyes at the click.

 

-%-

"My man Nico, just the dude I need to see." TK stood in the office doorway.

Nico looked up and blinked. "What is it, TK? I have a busy day."

TK eyed the office and studied the man. "Yeah, sure, that's why you've been sittin' in the dark here for forty-five minutes. Dude, you need to take a day. Do what Doctor D did and just take a mental health day. And she sure as hell sounded like she needed one on the phone this morning."

Nico swallowed. All too well he knew the reason for that. _But, damnit! She refused to see how much danger Juliette was in! If either of her parents found her and her relationship with Dani, too many would be hurt by the consequences. And there is no way Dani wouldn't stand up for the girl, patient or no._ "What do you need from me, TK?"

TK sighed. "I need you to figure out what has Doctor D so ragged. You didn't hear her this morning, Nico. She needs this break but something is seriously hurting her and I don't abide by that."

Nico sighed. "TK, I-."

"Nico, I owe her. A lot. I don't know how else to help her. I figured you could figure out what's weighing on her and fix it." TK plopped himself in a chair. "I mean the two of you spent a lot of time together, you got to be friends. Is she working too much with taking care of me and the team and now these women and more of the team? She needs a break, not _to_ break and this morning she sounded like she was breaking."

"TK, whatever is bothering -. Wait. Back up. She sounded like she was breaking?" Nico looked at the player sharply.

TK rolled his eyes. "Pay attention, man! Yes, I said she sounded like she was breaking when she called me to say not to worry, she'd be here tomorrow, she just needed the day."

Nico gave in. "I will talk with her tonight, TK, but I will not promise anything. It could be that the good doctor is just tired. As you said, she has been dealing with a lot and now she has taken on even more."

TK studied the man across from him and realized he too was having his own issues. Interesting. He'd file that away for future reference.

 

-%-

"You were right to throw me out last night."

Even after the laughs at Mama Coluni's, the pain still staggered her at hearing his voice. If she could have, she would have smiled that she hadn't flinched but the victory after so much pain was hollow. Dani just finished unlocking her front door and swung it open. She knew it was after 6 PM. She knew Jeanette and Juliette weren't due back until 7 PM. She knew Xeno would stop them if Nico was still here. So she took a deep breath and straightened her posture before she turned around to face him. "Come on in, Nico."

"No. I-."

Dani shook her head. "That wasn't a request, Nico. We have things to discuss and I don't think either of us wants it overheard by others. The kids are at Ray's, we're alone."

Nico studied her. TK was right: she was breaking. He could see it in the new lines around her eyes, in the tension she carried in her shoulders, in the way she was constantly rubbing her temple, and in lack of emotion in her voice. He nodded at her and walked in her open door silently.

Dani waited until they were seated at the island in the kitchen, each with a glass of red wine. "I'm sure you already know I went to see Mama Coluni today. She says hello. She also says to tell you to take better care of your injured bird." She caught Nico's frown at that and shrugged. "I am tired today, Nico, I can't be at my best every hour of every day. She gave me some," Dani smiled at a memory, "good advice. And made me think about our situation."

"Danielle, let me say something first." Nico shook his head and stood up when she would have argued. "I have always let you have your say first, but this time, this time I cannot."

Dani studied him closely and realized she wasn't the only one breaking apart right now. He hadn't bothered with a tie, or he had lost it. His movements were jerky and tired rather than smooth and economical. He was squinting—at her. "Go ahead, Nico. I'm listening."

"I was wrong. I should not have broken into your home. It was not that I did not like your words, Danielle. Protecting Juliette is what I have always done. You took that away from me, you told me I have helped her into this state that she is in now, and then you say I cannot help undo that. What do I do with that? I do what I always do: I find information. I threaten." Nico raked a hand through his hair and shook his head. This wasn't going right at all. He was basically apologizing when he was not wrong.

Dani frowned at the indecisiveness he was showing. She knew, could see it in his eyes when he paced close to her, that this wasn't what he had planned to say. It was enough—it had to be—for now. She set her wine glass down and reached out to grab him as he paced by her. "Nico, still. Just still for a moment." And she pulled him to stand in front of her. She looked up at him and smiled softly. "I've missed us, Nico. We went from friends to living together in intense fear and danger to now not seeing each other. We argue and we don't see eye-to-eye on everything. I miss our talks. I miss being able to use you as a sounding board. And I've decided that this is no longer acceptable. I need _us_ to keep some of the stress at bay. So I figured out what I want from you."

Nico eyed her warily but also gave her a patient smile. "What do you want from me, Dani?"

She held his gaze and stated, "I want Tuesday Nights."

Nico's brow creased. "Tuesday Ni-. Oh." He tilted his head to study her as he realized what she was asking for. "You can have Tuesday Nights. I may not make it every time but I will call you to alert you beforehand."

Dani smiled and nodded. "Same thing. Kids might crop up or a patient may need something, so I'll give you a heads up if that happens." She squeezed his hand as her eyes hardened. "Thank you, Nico. But you ever break into my home again, I will use Mama Coluni's advice."

"Duly noted, Dani. Duly noted and Mama Coluni's advice is never to be taken lightly." Nico nodded.

 

 

The Hawks won that Sunday, scoring a field goal in the last few seconds of the game to break the 14-14 tie against San Francisco. The week was celebrating and practicing. Dani and Nico meet up for Tuesday Night Restaurant and kept talk to movies, books, and wine. The next Sunday, the Hawks won again, putting them the Super Bowl. The stadium was nuts even with the away game. Monday was for winding down and coming home.

 

Tuesday morning Nico found her in her stadium office. "We need to take a ride, Doctor Santino."

Dani squinted at the tone. Something was wrong. She held up one hand and turned back to the phone. "I know that is what you asked for, TK, but maybe Vivica needs something else. Maybe she wants to spend time with you, not showing you off." She looked back at Nico and raised a brow when he stalked over to her. She wasn't about to rush off the phone whenever he decreed. She did have work she was supposed to be doing. She held his stormy eyes as she calmed TK down. "Terrence, you need to ask her what she wants. I know she enjoys your company when you are out on the town but a woman needs quiet time with her man too. And I know you can use some downtime as well. It takes a lot of effort to portray Terrence King to the world, maybe she just wants you to use some of that energy on showing Terrence King to her." Dani smiled. "Call the mobile if it gets worse, TK. I'll be in the car because some things just came up that I need to deal with elsewhere."

She grabbed her purse and glared at Nico. "I cannot just drop everything when you call me, Nico, or when you come for me. You need to learn patience or at least pretend to have patience."

Nico just glared down at her before he walked away, expecting her to follow him. Dani fumed but walked after him. She didn't pick up her pace like she normally did, though. He'd wait for her because she knew he wasn't leaving without her.

Once they were in his car, he turned to face her. "They know Juliette is out of rehab early. Someone talked that she is in therapy."

Dani reached for her door handle. She froze when she heard the click and the start of the car. She debated unlocking the door and getting out: he wasn't moving _that_ fast, but she shook her head. That would just be another form of giving into his intimidation: running away from it. Instead, she settled into the seat and buckled her seatbelt but she said nothing.

"Doctor Santino, I cannot protect her and you if you do not tell me where she is. I need to deflect this." Nico growled.

Dani shook her head, wiped at the tear that pooled at the corner of her eye. "This isn't yours to deflect, Nico. You can let me out anytime now."

It was her soft words that had him jerking the car to the side of the road. "You do not know what either person is capable of, Doctor Santino. I need to block this, give Juliette time. Why can you not see this is the only way to protect her?"

Dani shook her head. "Because it is the only way _you_ see to protect her. It is _not_ the only way to protect her. This isn't the time to protect her. This is the time to stand beside her and offer _support_ , not smother her in protection, Nico." Dani sighed as she watched Nico only grow angrier. She reached to unlock her door, as she told him, "Nico, when you want to _talk_ , you know how to find me." And she got out of the car.

Nico stared at her empty seat, threw the car in park, and got out after her. "Danielle, get back in the car."

"No, Nico." Dani shook her head, keeping her back to him. She couldn't let him see how much he hurt her.

Nico grabbed her good shoulder to stop her. And received a strong left blow to his gut for his effort. He grunted and immediately let her go. "Dani, please, I can't leave you here." He whispered.

She wanted to hit him again, to lash out and hurt him just like he keeps doing to her but she hears the pain in his whispered words and just sighs. She chose the way she was going to handle this, now was just another time to pick herself up off the ground. Dani retraced her steps back to the car and got in. As soon as Nico got in and started the car, she turned the stereo on and stared out her window. Back at the stadium, she didn't even go back to her office: she got in her car and drove away with absolutely no destination in mind except getting away from everything that reminded her of him. Two blocks away from the stadium, she called Jeanette to meet her for some retail therapy.

 

-%-

Dani walked into the restaurant in new red heels. She had debated the afternoon with Jeanette if she should show up, but, damnit! She had asked for Tuesday Nights and she was not going to be the one who bailed on them! She waved at Marcie and asked about Nico.

"Mr. Careles hasn't called to say he was coming but he also hasn't called to say he is not. His table is free, you can come sit at it." Marcie smiled.

Dani froze. She wasn't sure what she wanted to do. "I can just sit at the bar. Nico might be a while. I don't want to take up a table waiting for him. You get busy."

Marcie shook her head. "No. You'll sit at Mr. Careles's table. We wouldn't hear of anything less. Can I get you some wine?"

Dani sighed and let the younger woman bring her to the table. "Marcie, no matter what I say, I need you to make sure this one glass of the malbec is the only one I drink tonight."

Marcie studied the older woman. "You don't think Mr. Careles is coming tonight?"

Dani slid into her seat and frowned. "We had a very nasty argument this morning. I don't know if he will come. We have a standing meeting here now for Tuesdays and, while the argument hurt me deeply, I won't be the one who reneges on the meeting."

Marcie nodded. "Only this one malbec it is. Do you want to hear the specials yet? I'll bring some water with your wine, Doctor Santino."

"Thanks, Marcie. I'll hear the specials when you return, though I'll probably wait a while before I order."

 

"Sorry, Doctor. Kitchen's in a bit of upheaval. Chef's on the warpath tonight because he is trying a new sauce and it just isn't perfect."

Dani blinked out of her thoughts, glancing at her watch she saw 20 minutes had gone by. "It's fine, Marcie. Let me have an order of _calamari fritti_ please, with red wine vinegar on the side and no sauce please."

"No problem."

 

When the night started to slow, Marcie talked with Dani about the chef's quest for a better sauce, her boyfriend who was overseas in Afghanistan, and her degree. Dani glanced at her watch and sighed: she had been there two hours, it was just after 9 PM. She should probably go but she was enjoying Marcie's company. She blinked when she heard the swearing from the kitchen as something clattered to the floor. She didn't even hesitate as she stood and followed Marcie back into the kitchen.

"Why this sauce, chef?" Dani asked before anyone realized she had entered the kitchen.

"Who are you?" the Chef barked.

Dani stood her ground. "I'm the therapist whose meal you are interrupting with your swearing because you cannot get a sauce perfect. Now answer my question: why _this_ sauce?"

"Because it was my grandmother's." He barked.

Dani smiled. "Have you tried…." And then spent the next hour teaching him her great-grandmother's recipe for sauce and the one trick that had been handed down.

Chef Antioco Zarini hugged her and then talked of other old Italian recipes Dani had learned from her grandmother.

Dani glanced at her watch: it was now after 10 PM. "Chef, it's been a pleasure. I should get out to my table." He kissed her cheeks and told her to come back whenever she ate here.

 

Dani looked at the glass of wine still sitting on Nico's table. She hadn't been able to bring herself to drink it sitting at a table alone. She would give him the amount of time it took to drink her wine and then it was time to give in and call it a night.

 

 

Marcie looked up and blinked. "Mr. Careles, we were not sure if you would make it tonight. You're table is ready."

"Not necessary, Marcie. I called in an order to pick up." Nico glanced around the mostly empty restaurant and its bar, satisfied she hadn't kept their meeting either.

Marcie frowned, putting strength into her words. "No, Mr. Careles."

Nico's eyes snapped back to the waitress. "Excuse me?"

Marcie swallowed. "You are going to your table. She's waited for you for over four hours."

Nico stared. "What? Who?"

"Doctor Santino has been here for over four hours, waiting for you. You didn't call us to say you weren't coming. And I know the doctor's phone hasn't rung either." Marcie straightened. "She was under the impression you had a standing Tuesday night meeting."

Nico walked around the host's station and looked over at his usual table. Sure enough, she was there. She was sitting with her back to him, cradling a glass of red wine but not drinking it. He found himself walking over to her with no thought to actually deciding to go over to her.

"Danielle?" Nico whispered.

Dani's head jerked up and she couldn't hide the tears that had started to fall.

"There you are, Mr. Careles. Someone mentioned you had arrived. I have your take-out order right here."

Dani looked from the waiter to the bag of food to Nico and just shook her head. She stood, grabbed her purse, tossed two twenties on the table for Marcie and walked out of the restaurant. She had all the answer she needed: he had never intended to keep their Tuesday Night meeting.

"Danielle! Wait!"

She shook her head and kept walking to her car. When the hand went over her head to keep her door shut, she turned to glare at him but the tears ruined it. "What do you want, Nico? What more can you do to cut me down?" She shook her head. "Forget it. You can start fresh tomorrow."

"Why did you come here tonight?" Nico asked.

Dani stared at him. Was he serious? She studied him carefully and realized he was. She sighed. "I asked for Tuesday Nights, Nico. Why wouldn't I have come?"

"Because we had a nasty fight this morning." Nico didn't understand this. She was hurt he hadn't come.

"So what? We fight all the time, Nico. I asked for time for us, that I wanted Tuesday Nights for us to remember our friendship and decompress." Dani told him. "Why did you come here at 11 PM, Nico?"

"To pick up my take-out order." Nico stated. He thought about how he had scanned the place while talking with Marcie. He had come to make sure she hadn't. To prove she hadn't kept her word.

Dani watched him thinking about something, something that didn't quite sit well with him. "You can believe that if you want, Nico, but we both know you would only be lying to yourself. I'll see you in the morning."

"Wait. Why did you _stay_?"

Dani held his eyes. "You said you would call me to alert me if you wouldn't be able to make it. You never called."

He flinched at her soft words.

 

 

 

[Chapter 11](http://bets-cyn.livejournal.com/135806.html)


	13. Fic: [NR] Mix of Dark Minors and Sunny Majors (Chapter 13/14)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She'd be willing to bet the Nico of reality was somewhere between her good guy and his evil one but he wasn't ready to see that just yet. "Nico, I work on feelings and intuition. Of course I see the potential. You work in cold facts and realities that aren't pretty so you see the bad. In order for music to be beautiful, there has to be a mix of sunny majors with the dark, harsh minors."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, you can blame or credit, jeer or cheer brokenroots & goodisrelative for this 92-page (20+ chapter) fic. Brokenroots started me thinking about NR fic (go read hers, it's better) and then they both beat me up to get more. Please note, this fic is done. finished. fin. over. ended. ... that doesn't mean there is not a sequel. at least a "Sunday Supper at Mama Coluni's"

Mix of Dark Minors and Sunny Majors  
 **Word Count:** Chapter 13: 3,344; _[48,282 total]_  
 **Rating:** PG-13  
 **Pairing:** Nico/Dani—Possibly. Eventually?  
 **Spoilers:** References something from 1x07 and 1x11.  
 **Disclaimer:** don't own. Don't profit. Don't … a lot of things  
 **Summary:** She'd be willing to bet the Nico of reality was somewhere between her good guy and his evil one but he wasn't ready to see that just yet. "Nico, I work on feelings and intuition. Of course I see the potential. You work in cold facts and realities that aren't pretty so you see the bad. In order for music to be beautiful, there has to be a mix of sunny majors with the dark, harsh minors."  
 **Author's Note:** So, you can blame or credit, jeer or cheer brokenroots  & goodisrelative for this 92-page (20+ chapter) fic. Brokenroots started me thinking about NR fic (go read hers, it's better) and then they both beat me up to get more. Please note, this fic is done. finished. fin. over. ended. ... that doesn't mean there is not a sequel. at least a "Sunday Supper at Mama Coluni's"

Okay, so there is only really 14 chapters because I did super long chapters (at least 7 or more pages per chapter averaging 3,500 words per chapter). Crazy, I know! :-)

-%-

"You realize why it hurts so much and why you keep going back for more, don't you, honey?" Jeanette asked the next morning as they waited for Juliette to finish her shower and dress.

Dani blinked and looked over at her best friend. "What are you talking about, Jeanette?"

"The reason why those red tulip petals are pressed in that cookbook you never use." Jeanette answered. "You love him. It's the only reason a woman would willing put herself as the emotional punching bag."

Dani shook her head. "He's a friend, a good friend. That's all. It's way too soon. Besides, the divorce was just signed two days ago. We can barely tolerate each other for more than eight minutes at a time."

Jeanette chuckled. "Doesn't change a thing, Dani. You are in love with him."

Dan shook her head. "I can't think on this. We're in the Super Bowl a week from this Sunday and TK is flipping out. Juliette and I are talking with Nico on Monday. I can't handle this right now."

Jeanette sighed. "Fine, but you are going to have to deal with it soon."

 

-%-

 

TK looked around Dani's fixed up office and was a bit disappointed in the lack of flowers—not that he would tell the guys that! "Doctor D, I like the new colors."

Dani smiled. Since she had the opportunity to redecorate, she made some minor changes to the office. Choosing a warmer orange for the walls, darker browns for the couch and chairs—though there were still flowers on her chairs, she wasn't going to go crazy with change. "I thought since I had the opportunity, I would make some changes for my male patients."

TK chuckled. "I wouldn't want to see all of your flowers go away, Doctor D. Can't have you changing too much." He settled into his favorite location: on the floor with his back leaning against the couch, legs outstretched. "You were right, I needed to talk with V." And he told her about their last few nights. Even the day they spent just sitting wrapped in blankets on the beach talking about their pasts.

Dani smiled. He was learning and she couldn't be prouder of him. "TK, I'm glad you are doing so well together, that you are seeing this is as a give-and-take relationship with Vivica."

TK nodded. "She's good for me, Doc. It's like she grounds me, ya know?"

Dani chuckled. "I'm glad someone can, Terrence."

TK sighed as he heard the hollowness in her laugh. "I wish Nico would get to fixing you like I asked him to."

Dani's head snapped back to him. "You what?"

TK grinned. "I asked Nico to find out what was bringin' ya down and fix it. I've been good the last week, figured I'd give him time to figure out what you needed fixed but it just seems like it has gotten worse. Though, I guess the dude has a lot on his mind. He hasn't looked too good either. Snappin' at players when he would normally stare them down."

Dani blinked. _How was she supposed to walk through this mindfield?_ She sighed. "Terrence, Nico can't just fix what is bothering me. It doesn't work like that. You know how difficult it is to overcome something that is bothering you. It takes time and patience and a willingness to work on something."

"But, Doctor D, you's family and I don't like seein' ya breaking." TK stated softly.

"Oh, Terrence," Dani whispered and tried to blink back the tears but failed. He stood quickly and picked her up in a giant TK hug—taking care to not bother her hand still in its cast. Dani held onto him and sniffled.

When she found her strength again, she stepped back, tilted her head back and gave him a smile. "That was exactly what I needed, Terrence."

TK grinned down at her. "Does this mean I can book ten minutes early?"

Dani laughed heartily. "Go on, TK. Enjoy the freedom." She watched him literally bounce out of her office and shook her head. He surprised her today. Dani turned to her back door and headed into her kitchen to run into Juliette.

"Dani, you can't keep taking the brunt of his anger. It will destroy you." The young woman stated softly as she sat munching on chips at the kitchen island.

Dani shrugged. "Better me than others, Juliette. But there is something we need to discuss: your parents."

Juliette jerked and immediately shook her head.

Dani reached over and grabbed her hand. "Dear, it's time we talked of them. You've been thriving here for almost three weeks now. You know I am not going to let anything—or anyone—shatter this stability and security. You've seen me stand up to Nico for you. I'm not going anywhere. Not even when you run away. I still find you. There is strength in the letting go, Jules, because sometimes holding on means hurting ourselves and others. And now you need to let go of the fear of your parents taking you away from me. It won't happen. First, you are legally an adult. Second, even if they fired me, TK and Booz would stay with me because they trust me because I will and have stood up to the Coach and your father for them."

Juliette listened to Dani's words, keeping her grip tight on her hand. It came to her suddenly, like the clarity of needing to change when she disappointed Nico the last time. "I like the nickname, Dani." She looked into the doctor's eyes and smiled. "I want the nickname. I want to stay here. I _am_ getting stronger. I'm not bouncing off the walls like I usually do. I'm sticking to something rather than running away or calling others to take care of whatever I've done. I'll slip up, like when I ran last week, but I couldn't even walk in the club, Dani. I looked down at my outfit—the hooker outfit—and couldn't hear anything but you and Jeanette and your mom sighing in disappointment. It's been three weeks, Dani, and I haven't even thought about my old life except the time I ran. That has got to be an improvement."

Dani smiled. "It is a huge improvement, Jules. You want to change and you are making it happen. No one else is pushing you or yelling at you or taking digs at you to get you to change. You've always had the strength; it's just that it's so much easier to listen to the bad and let others make choices for you."

Juliette nodded: she was right, it had been easier. All she found in Dani's eyes were pride, compassion, and a tinge of sadness. "All right, how should we deal with my father? I am not dealing with my mother yet. She's toxic."

Dani chuckled. "You and I both agree on that. Taking them one at a time is fine. How do you want to deal with him?"

"I suppose he should know where I am and that I am improving. But he doesn't get to take credit for it. This is all you. You and Nico and your family."

Dani shook her head. "It is not, Jules, and you know that. We can take some credit for supporting you but ultimately, it is your choices that have put you exactly right here."

Juliette studied her new friend and nodded. "Can we meet him here? In your office? Can you call him?"

Dani smiled. "We'll meet him here in my office, but you and I will both call him. We'll call from my office line. We may need you to get passed his secretary."

Juliette laughed at that. "Dani, that's the sure way to get the call to go to the blackhole of holding."

Dani sighed. "True. Fine. I'll call. Should I mention you, Jules?"

Juliette shrugged. "Not really sure, Dani."

Dani moved into her office again and dialed the number Juliette had. She wouldn't let herself think about Nico's reaction when he learned of this. She blinked when she actually _got_ Marshall Pittman on the phone. "Mr. Pittman, will you be in town this week? Juliette and I would like to meet with you." She listened for a moment. "Friday at 1 PM. That is fine. We would prefer if you met us here at my home office." She sighed. "Thank you, see you then, Mr. Pittman."

Jules took a deep breath. "Well, no backing out now."

Dani cupped her cheek and brought the young woman's eyes to hers. "Maybe he'll surprise you, Jules. Remember, he too is tossing Gabriella out of his life."

Juliette shrugged. "We'll see on Friday."

 

-%-

It was Thursday afternoon before Dani ran into Nico. Literally. She was rounded the corner, talking to Coach on the phone, and walking with one of Matt's assistant trainers. They had another all-team group session in an hour and the coach was letting her know it might have to start late. She wasn't looking forward and when they collided she bit back a scream as her broken hand was caught between them.

All Nico saw were the tears in her eyes as he reached out to keep her from falling. He made sure she was stead on her feet before he let her go. "I am sorry, Doctor Santino. I will keep a better eye on where I am going."

Dani sighed. "No real harm, Nico. I wasn't paying attention either." She reached out to touch his arm. There was something she needed to tell him. "Nico, I will be leaving the stadium tomorrow at noon. I have a 1 PM with an important client. If I'm needed for anything, I'll be at my home office."

Nico nodded. He hadn't realized she had any new clients but he had been keeping away from her lately. It was the only way he could stop himself from hurting her all the time. He got updates on the kids' security from Xeno which would be ending in a few days.

Dani's eyes trailed him for a second as he walked away. Forcing her eyes back on the trainer, she smiled and headed down the hall.

 

TK frowned. Doctor D's problem was Nico? And he had asked Nico to fix her? _Aw shit!_ And it looked like Nico's problem was the good doc. Sighing, he headed back to practice. He'd think about all of this later.

 

-%-

Nico stared at the car in her driveway. He knew Mr. Pittman was in town. But why was he here at Dani's? Had he found out that Dani knew were Juliette was? No matter what, this could not be good.

 

-%-

Dani looked in on the father daughter pair and sighed. If Nico could see these two now, was the only thought that was running through her mind right then. There had been yelling, on Juliette's part, at first. There had been demands, on Mr. Pittman's part, but Dani had diffused that by standing up for Juliette and declaring ground rules for the discussion. After that first thirty minutes, the two had sat down and actually _talked_. Dani had left them alone, with the door open, for the last thirty minutes.

She sighed at the knock on the front door. "Nico? What is it?"

"Why is Mr. Pittman's car here? I thought you were having a client meeting."

Dani blinked. He was _yelling_ at her. Not in loudness, just in tone, but it was still yelling. "No. You do not get to come into _my_ home and start yelling about my clients. You do not get to demand what is going on. You want to go back outside and try this again? Because maybe if you talk with me, _ask_ me, I might just talk with you and give you answers but I am done dealing with demands and accusations where Jules is concerned." Dani poked him in the chest and pushed him outside the front door. She closed it behind her.

Nico stared at her. "You cannot mean to go up against Marshall Pitman. He eats people like you for breakfast. Juliette needs more time to find herself. She needs to be-."

"Nico, you would keep my daughter away from me?"

The voice on the front walk startled both of them. Dani shifted over to her right to stare at Mr. Pittman and Juliette. Nico turned to face them both.

"Yes, sir, if it protected Juliette." Nico stated quietly.

Juliette stared at Nico. She moved her eyes to Dani and caught the apology and pain in the other woman's eyes. Then she settled back on Nico with a frown. "But I _am_ strong enough right now, Nico. Dani has seen to that. I'm not saying I'm talking with Mom. That's too much right now."

Nico studied the younger woman and, for the first time, saw the new her. The clarity in her eyes. The straightness in her posture. There was none of the nervous ticks, none of the bouncing off the walls, and none of the cowering and lowered eyes. He blinked.

Mr. Pittman looked at his old friend and smiled. "I'm glad someone else will stand up for my daughter. Even it means firing or worse." He flicked his eyes over to Dani and tilted his head in acknowledgement. "Doctor Santino, a pleasure as always. Thank you for finding my daughter for me. The support you've shown her, to find her own way, to give her clarity, just proves how right Nico was to bring you into our organization. And it makes me shudder to think what my wife and I have done to bring about the demise of our daughter when all she needed was the two things we never gave: time and attention. Thank you." He turned to Juliette and caressed her cheek. "Honey, I'll stop back in a week. I'll talk with Doctor Santino about scheduling weekly visits if that is what you really want. This time, I'll make the effort too." His eyes cut over to Dani. "Can't have unscheduled appointments popping up anymore. Tends to disrupt the offices."

Dani grinned. "Have a good weekend, Mr. Pittman, and I'll work up a schedule and send it to your assistant."

Mr. Pittman nodded and headed over to his car. It left Juliette, Nico, and Dani looking at each other, not talking.

Dani sighed. "Nico, was there something you needed me for? Something with TK? Or another of the Hawks?"

Nico blinked and shook his head. "No. It was about the man who attacked Juliette." He watched Dani moved to Juliette's side and take her hand. He sighed. "Maybe we should head inside and sit down for this?"

Dani sighed and lead them all into the house and over to the living room. She sat on the couch and pulled Juliette down next to her. "Jules, it will be okay. We'll deal with things as they come up. I should also tell you two about what was found at the rehab center."

Nico nodded. "The man will be charged with assault and battery, attempted murder, and possession of narcotics. These will be his third felony. He will be going away for a long time."

"The rehab center was closed the end of last week. The patients have been moved to other facilities and they will be repaying their current patients at least some of the money they have spent. At least two of the orderlies have drug offenses pending." Dani sighed. She hated it when her profession used itself to gain money and not help patients. "Jules, the head doctor has been suspended and an investigation is on-going into his practice. He will lose his license and never be allowed to practice again."

Nico blinked at the nickname. Did Juliette remember he used to call her than when she had been little?

Juliette nodded. She looked over at Nico. "You used to call me that when I was little. I thought it sounded familiar." She whispered.

Dani looked from the man to the young woman, surprised. She sighed. Maybe it was time to inform Nico where Juliette was living now instead of Monday. A few days would make no difference, really. "Jules, why don't you talk with Nico today? A few days now are irrelevant."

Juliette blinked and looked over at Dani. "I'm not sure I'm ready." She admitted.

Dani smiled. "It's your decision, Jules. I'll be here regardless." She glanced at the clock on the wall and sighed. "You have therapy in thirty minutes. Go get ready. You can take the car. Call me when you get there and when you leave, all right?"

Juliette froze as she got up. "You are letting me go alone?"

Dani smiled. "Small steps, dear. You've made a lot of progress; it's time to reward that."

Nico watched the interaction between the two and frowned. If he was honest, Dani was that way with everyone: she trusted them and supported them.

When the girl was out of earshot, Dani turned on him, her eyes cold. "Don't you ever check up on me like that again, Nico."

Nico blinked. Where had this come from? But, he realized, her anger had just been simmering under the surface, waiting for a moment when they were alone. "I did not plan to come out here, but I thought it necessary to inform Juliette as soon as possible. As you are the only person who knows where she is living, I had no choice but to come here."

Dani held his eyes. "Bullshit, Nico. You could have called or you could have come this morning when you got the news."

Nico blinked. "How did you know I got the news this morning?"

"Because Frank heard from his police buddy and told me this morning. He mentioned that he had already talked with you." Dani stood and moved to the front door. "Now I know the real reason you shouldn't lie, Nico. You are no good at it."

Nico's eyes narrowed. "I have not lied to you. I may use misdirection and omission, but I have never lied to you."

Dani shook her head. "Yes, you have. Twice. Tuesday Nights: you never called this past Tuesday. And the other one you'll have to figure out on your own." She opened the door. "Have a good day, Nico."

Nico looked at the anger in her eyes and nodded. "You need to stop looking for the good, Dani. I'm not a good guy. I'm the one people are afraid of. I haunt the shadows for reasons."

Dani shook her head. "I'll never be afraid of you, Nico. Angry, furious, grateful, and amazed but never afraid." She closed the door softly once he was outside. She really didn't want to hear his comment on her last words.

Juliette watched her lean her head against the door and breathe a sigh of relief. "Why do you let him hurt you like that, Dani? You love him and he just beats you up."

Dani's head jerked up. "I am not-." She stopped the words and swore. "I hate it when she is right." She shook her head and refocused on Juliette. "Jules, sometimes love is hell. Love needs to be tested in the hottest flames. Just like gold, it needs the heat to purge impurities from it to make it stronger, more beautiful. Nico doesn't even realize that I truly care about him as a friend." She laughed but there was no humor in it. "He'll disappear if he realizes I love him."

Juliette shook her head. "You need to give him a little credit. I don't think he'll run. Hide, yes; run, no."

Dani studied her for a moment before she smiled. "Get out of here, Jules, before you are late for your therapy appointment." She stopped the woman at the door to give her a hug. "I really am proud of you for how you did with your father, Jules." She whispered then let her go.

 

[Chapter 12](http://bets-cyn.livejournal.com/136184.html)


	14. Fic: [NR] Mix of Dark Minors and Sunny Majors (Chapter 14/14)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She'd be willing to bet the Nico of reality was somewhere between her good guy and his evil one but he wasn't ready to see that just yet. "Nico, I work on feelings and intuition. Of course I see the potential. You work in cold facts and realities that aren't pretty so you see the bad. In order for music to be beautiful, there has to be a mix of sunny majors with the dark, harsh minors."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, you can blame or credit, jeer or cheer brokenroots & goodisrelative for this 92-page (20+ chapter) fic. Brokenroots started me thinking about NR fic (go read hers, it's better) and then they both beat me up to get more. Please note, this fic is done. finished. fin. over. ended. ... that doesn't mean there might not be a sequel. at least a "Sunday Supper at Mama C's"

Mix of Dark Minors and Sunny Majors  
 **Word Count:** Chapter 14: 3,325; _[48,282 total]_  
 **Rating:** PG-13  
 **Pairing:** Nico/Dani—Possibly. Eventually?  
 **Spoilers:** References something from 1x07 and 1x11.  
 **Disclaimer:** don't own. Don't profit. Don't … a lot of things  
 **Summary:** She'd be willing to bet the Nico of reality was somewhere between her good guy and his evil one but he wasn't ready to see that just yet. "Nico, I work on feelings and intuition. Of course I see the potential. You work in cold facts and realities that aren't pretty so you see the bad. In order for music to be beautiful, there has to be a mix of sunny majors with the dark, harsh minors."  
 **Author's Note:** So, you can blame or credit, jeer or cheer brokenroots  & goodisrelative for this 92-page (20+ chapter) fic. Brokenroots started me thinking about NR fic (go read hers, it's better) and then they both beat me up to get more. Please note, this fic is done. finished. fin. over. ended. ... that doesn't mean there might not be a sequel. at least a "Sunday Supper at Mama C's"

 

Yes, we have made it to the final chapter. Resolutions will appear. Mama Coluni sends "guys who still do her bidding" and a note to Dani. The culmination happens.  
....  
And then all you hard core shippers will scream. And dance. Or just scream. Or just dance.

 

-%-

Nico was fifteen minutes early to his visit with Juliette on Monday morning. They had been expecting Lindsay's friend, so Juliette went to open the door in her pajamas and robe since she was on her way upstairs to change. She stared at Nico in the doorway. Nico stared right back at her, taking in the pajamas and robe.

Dani stood at the top of the stairs ready to say hi when she spotted Nico. She swallowed hard and ran down the stairs. "Jules, why don't you go get changed and meet us in my office." She pushed the woman toward the stairs. "Nico, go around back to the office." When he stood there, his eyes darkening, Dani sighed. "Nico, please, the kids are about to head for school."

Nico held her eyes with his glare for another moment before he turned and headed to her office.

Dani told her kids goodbye and headed into her office, ready for the blow up she knew had been slowly coming.

"She's been living _here_? With you the entire time?" Nico swore. "How the hell did you get Xeno to lie to me?"

Dani just gave into her emotions and let them out. She knew this wasn't going to be pretty and had prepared for it. She also knew Nico had no clue how ugly this was going to get. "I gave no orders to Xeno about anything he reported to you. What did he tell you? All my chargers were safe and accounted for? Or did you even get reports from him? Just trusting him that he would let you know if there were problems? Did you _ask_ him about Juliette? Or did you lie about that too?"

Nico whipped to face her, his voice rising. " _I do not lie._ He gave reports saying all charges were safe. I never said I agreed to that. You decreed it."

"I decreed it because it was necessary! Juliette needs to find her strength _on her own_. No one else can find it for her. She needs to decide her future, who to deal with and when to deal with them. We can stand beside her but we can't stand _for_ her." Dani yelled.

"Is this why you would never tell me where she was? Because you thought I would hate this idea? Because you thought I would fight you on this?" Nico yelled right back. "I love that you took her under your wing. God knows she needs a champion and it will never be me. You are the strongest person I know, so who the hell better to learn strength from?"

Dani stood frozen, staring up at him at his words. She couldn't believe this. _He thought she was strong?_ "Then why do you insist on tearing me down, Nico? Destroying me? I thought we were friends." Her words were whisper soft.

"Because I am not the good guy, damnit, and you refuse to see it!" Nico shouted. "Why the hell won't you tell me who told you she was in rehab?"

Dani blinked back her tears and shook her head. "Why does it always come back to that, Nico?" Dani let the heat drain out of her. She gave up on holding the tears in. "I cannot tell you, Nico. You said you trusted me. You said you trusted me with Juliette. So, why, then, is my word not good enough?"

"Because her mother is still out there waiting to tear her down!" Nico lowered his voice but the anger was still there. And for once, Dani heard the fear there.

Dani shook her head. "I'm sorry, Nico. I cannot tell you that. I just can't."

"Stop it! Damnit! Just stop it! Nico, you are beating the hell out of her with words. Yes, she does battle with them every damn day but that doesn't mean they don't tear and rip at her. Look at her, damn it! She's _crying_ because of your words." Juliette stormed into the room screaming. "And I know I asked but it isn't worth _this_!" She told Dani, her eyes clearing.

Dani watched Juliette straighten and turn back to Nico. "Jules, you don't have to do this." She whispered.

"Yes, I do, Dani. For everything you have done for me in just over three weeks. For the strength you have shown me, for the strength you have lent me, and because, for once, I can help you." Juliette whispered still facing Nico. "You want to know who called Dani to tell her I was in rehab, Nico? So you can protect me, I know you mean well, but sometimes protecting someone just hurts people even more. _I_ called her, Nico. I called Dani and asked her to help me. I texted myself her number from your phone. I knew I wouldn't be strong enough to stay and I refused to drag you in anymore. I knew you trusted Dani so that meant I could too. Only as I called her, my phone died. And they wouldn't let me recharge it; I wasn't supposed to have it in the first place. I called her the day before she got me out."

Nico stared at Juliette. "You called her?" He couldn't believe she had been that strong. "When did I stop thinking you could help yourself, Juliette?"

Juliette hugged him. "When I let you believe it was true." She was crying but she pushed the words out, "I'm sorry, Nico. For everything: for the pain I caused you, for the disappointment I caused, even for the embarrassment."

Nico hugged her back. "It's okay, Jules. Can I call you that?"

Juliette nodded and she held onto him. "You and Dani."

Nico looked up at that, wondering where Dani had disappeared to—and wondering if she had learned a touch too much from him. "Where did Dani go?"

 

Dani had made her way silently out of the room when they first started talking to each other. She couldn't stand there any longer. She sat on one of the barstools and laid her head on her arms on the counter.

 

Juliette pulled back from him. "Nico, you destroyed her so many times these last few weeks. I thought you trusted her but every time you tested that, you ripped the rug out from under her before she could even prove herself. Why don't you trust her? You told her you did."

Nico stared at the young woman before him. _Was that the other time he had lied to her?_ He recalled telling her he trusted her, that he _always_ trusted her. He sighed. And yet he had never truly trusted her with Juliette. "I need time to fix this, Jules. You go make sure she is okay."

Juliette grabbed his hand. "You leave now and you won't be able to fix this, Nico. She's been bending for weeks. You leave and she'll break."

Nico shook his head. "I need to plan-."

" _No!_ You need to talk to her _right now_." Juliette glared then pushed him toward the kitchen.

Juliette went outside through the office door while Nico walked into the kitchen and froze at the sight that greeted him.

"There have been many more dark, harsh minors in my life, Danielle, that I tend to push the sunny majors away." Nico stated quietly.

Dani raised her head to look at him. "I don't want to fight, Nico. And not just because I don't have the energy right now."

Nico smiled and moved over to her. He was careful with her broken hand as he lifted her up to stand. He looked down at her and cupped her cheeks to wipe away her tears. "You really are the strongest person I know, Danielle. You take on TK, the Coach, even me to prove he could better himself. You take TK's anger and fear and joy in stride and make him be a better man." He paused to smile down at her. "You know he asked me to fix you? Then was good for a few days so I could have the time to fix what was breaking you. He had no idea it was me who was breaking you."

Dani smiled. "He told me and I didn't have the heart to tell him you were most of the problem. He was worried about you too, Nico."

Nico nodded. "I'm not used to that, Dani. People worried about me and caring about me. I don't know what to do with it." He sighed. "All I did with you was throw it back in your face after I stomped it to the ground. You asked for Tuesday Nights for us and I couldn't even do that right." He looked away then brought his eyes back to hers. "The take-out order was just an excuse, I wanted to be able to say I was there, you weren't. But then you were and that scared me. Hell, _you_ scare me. Protecting you was easy. I knew what to do: find the threat and eliminate it. And I couldn't even do that right with you. You took the threat down literally with one hand. I was 200 feet away dealing with a vindictive, toxic bitch."

Dani put her fingers on his lips. "I told you, you took care of me, Nico. You made sure I didn't hit the floor when I crumbled under the fear and stress. You protected my heart: my kids. If anything had happened to them, I would have died inside. You made me smile with the beautiful flowers. You did these things despite the fear. Okay, so I don't usually see the bad side of you. Scratch that, I _do_ see it, I have even _asked_ that you be the bastard you say you are, but I also see the compassion under it. I see the reason you do it and it isn't to control the players or make them fear you. You care, Nico: that's the reason you do what you do."

Nico smiled down at her, still cradling her face in his hands. "You see too much and that scares the hell out of me. I'm going to let you down. I already have."

Dani laughed. "And you think I won't let you down? Please don't put me up on a pedestal, Nico. I'll get mad. I'll frustrate the hell out of you and argue with you. I'll disregard what you ask me to do. It's a part of a relationship, Nico, the give and take, the good and the bad, even the yelling and the l-caring."

Nico caught her slip though and filed it away for later. He pulled her to him and just held on to her. "So Tuesday Nights are still for us?"

Dani smiled. "I was there. _You_ weren't." She reminded him quietly and listened to his laughter rumble through his chest.

"True enough. Tomorrow I'll be there." Nico promised.

Dani chuckled. "Damn straight you will be. I don't care if Marshall Pittman decrees you be in Timbuktu!"

"We should go find Jules, let her see we are better. It will take time, but we are better." Nico stepped back from her. He took her good arm and smiled when she rested her head on his arm as they walked outside to find Juliette.

 

-%-

Dani sighed. She was late, it was already 830 PM, but TK had had a meltdown: Super Bowl pressure was getting a lot of the team. "Hi, Marcie. Is Nico here yet?" Dani asked.

Marcie smiled at Dani. "Not yet. He called to say he'd get here about 9 PM. Something about getting TK home."

Dani laughed. "One of the players. The team is a little stressed with the Super Bowl coming up. I can sit at the bar if there isn't a table ready."

"Nope, the table is all ready for you and Mr. Careles. The Chef is in tonight. He's in a much better mood and I'm sure he'd love to see you again. He's asked a few times if you have been in again." Marcie smiled as she led Dani to the table. She frowned when she realized Dani had stopped. "Doctor? Are you okay?"

"He got me flowers." Dani whispered when she saw the bouquet of a ring of red tulips then white tulips on top of those and three blood-red gerber daisies crowning the arrangement. She blinked the tears back.

Marcie smiled again, thankful they were happy tears unlike the week before. "They are beautiful, aren't they? Mr. Careles sent them over about thirty minutes ago. There is a card with them. Can I bring you the malbec, Doctor Santino?"

Dani forced her eyes off the flowers and onto the waitress beside her. "Call me Dani, Marcie. How is your boyfriend? Still safe? And let's have the South African tonight."

Marcie's eyes were haunted for a moment. "Donnie's safe but he has a new mission and I'm worried about him. I'll bring you a glass of the South African."

Dani watched her walk away as she reached out to finger the red tulips. An idea came to her for a project for Juliette to run. The young woman needed something to work on and she wasn't comfortable with the idea of taking a college class yet. Dani leaned down and smelled the flowers before she headed into the kitchen. She'd say hi to the chef before Nico arrived.

"So, no swearing tonight, Chef?" Dani asked as she walked into the kitchen.

Antioco grinned and went over to hug her and kiss both of her cheeks. "How are you, Dani? What secrets can you divulge to me tonight?"

Dani laughed. "None. I only give out one old family secret to each person."

They talked while Antioco worked. Dani forgot to pay attention to the time until Nico's voice cut through their laughter.

"And here I thought the flowers would make you smile after TK. Little did I know you would be laughing with the chef."

"Careles, I thought I told you to never enter my kitchen again." Antioco glared. "And you cannot tell me the wonderful Dani is here with you."

"I only came to collect my date. And, yes, she is my friend and my dinner companion when I eat here." Nico nodded. Dani blinked at his word choice.

Antioco looked horrified. "I knew you were too good to be true. There is no such thing as perfection." He sighed. "But I suppose you could have a worse flaw than Careles here, Dani."

Dani watched the interplay between the two men and smiled. There was a story there with the friendly animosity. It was like they wouldn't allow themselves to like each other. She kissed Antioco's cheek. "I'll look forward to the food, Chef."

Nico raised a brow in question as he took her arm and they headed out of the kitchen.

Dani smiled and hugged his arm. "The flowers are beautiful, Nico. I love them. I figured I would say hi to Chef Antioco before you got here. I hadn't realized I had lost track of time."

Nico smiled down at her. "Stating the obvious, Dani. I'm glad you like the flowers."

They sat and talked, enjoyed the food Chef sent out, and he left his hand touching her one in the cast the entire evening. He smiled every time she suddenly reached out to finger the red tulips.

Dani caught him smiling at her when she fingered the red tulips during their dessert. She eyed him and wondered if she should bring up the meaning of red tulips. He had dodged the question last time, but he had pretty much held her hand the entire dinner. And he had bought them again.

Nico frowned. "What is the question you want to ask me but are debating the wisdom of doing?"

Dani blinked. "Sometimes, Nico, you do scare me: only with your ability to read me. But then I suppose it is all part of your observation skills." She smiled over at him and reached over for his hand with her good one. "I cannot wait until this cast is off." She growled softly and he laughed.

"Are you going to ask the question? Or would you prefer that I just tell you that, yes, I do know what red tulips signify." And Nico had the pleasure of shocking Dani.

Dani's mouth opened in a small 'o' but she quickly turned it into a smile. "Does this mean I can find out where your Friday Night Restaurant is during the off-season?"

Nico smiled. "You can find out this Friday if you don't have other plans."

 

-%-

Dani heard the car in the drive a couple weeks later but when no one came to the door, she frowned. With all the crazy of a Super Bowl win, a lot of people were stopping by lately. She opened the front door and watched four men in black suits carry two sawhorses and a gate to her backyard under her old weeping willow tree. She didn't even recall dialing. "Nico, what is wrong with Mama Coluni?"

_"What do you mean? She is fine. What's wrong, Dani?"_

Dani blinked, looked out at her backyard, and frowned. "Nothing's wrong. Something just felt, I don't know, Nico. Something felt off." Dani sighed. "It's nothing, Nico. I'll check on her later."

One of the suits in black walked up to her as she hung up. "Doctor Santino? Mama Coluni I asked us to drop this off and to give this to you." He handed her the envelope then disappeared.

Dani's hands shook as she opened the envelope and took out the letter. It was concise and so Mama Coluni, Dani just had to laugh.

>   
>  _Dani, now that you have him, you have to take care of him. Remember, a knife to the ribs where I showed you will only hurt him a short time, but it will straighten him out long-term. He'll never underestimate you again. But you've already learned the hard part of loving a man everyone else, including himself, calls bastard: life, pain, and love are all four-letter words. At the best of times, two of them are interchangeable. In the rest of times, all three of them are interchangeable. As long as you come out heavier on the life and love side, count yourself blessed. As for the gate, seeing he's going to be at your place a helluvalot more than mine and I want to see it finished before I kick the bucket, he can't give me excuses anymore. You come see me and bring your kids and Juliette. Heck, bring Jeanette and her new man Xeno. Even your Ma, TK, and Vivica. We'll have a big Sunday dinner. You can come early, the rest can come later. You and I'll cook and swamp Nico stories. Only don't tell him that part or he'll come and censor. Hell, seeing as he's Nico, he'll know something's up and come early anyways and ruin all the fun! I'll expect you at 10 AM and the rest at 3 PM. No excuses. I still know people, as you saw, who do my bidding. Only kidding. Well, mostly. – Mama C_   
> 

Dani laughed so hard she missed the call from Nico. When he called back immediately, she answered out of breath. "Love, she's fine. She just sent over something. You'll see it when you get here tonight for dinner. Also, we are expected, _all of us_ , at Mama Coluni's for supper this Sunday. You, Jules, the kids, Ma, TK, Vivica, Jeanette, and Xeno are expected at 3 PM. I'm heading over at 9 AM to help with making dinner. No, you are not allowed to come early: Mama Coluni still knows people who do her bidding, you know." Dani chuckled.

_"Wait. Why Xeno?"_

Dani smiled. "You'll see on Sunday. And you had better leave the man alone until after Sunday!"

 

[Chapter 13](http://bets-cyn.livejournal.com/136401.html)


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